ACCRA, June 28 (Xinhua) -- The Health Community of West Africa (HCOWA), a Ghana-based Chinese private firm, and its local partners launched a think tank on Friday to advance the development of traditional medicine practice in West Africa.

The think tank, named the West African Traditional Medicine Cooperation and Exchange Center (WATMCEC), is a collaboration between various traditional medicine institutions in West African countries, Ghana's Traditional and Alternative Medicine Directorate (TAMD), HCOWA, and the Chinese medical team in Ghana.

Anastasia Yirenkyi, director of TAMD at the Ministry of Health, and Hao Linduan, a member of the 14th Chinese medical team in Ghana, serve as the co-executive chairpersons of the center.

"We have reached a stage where traditional medicine is no longer about belief systems, but where there should be cooperation between indigenous practitioners, researchers, academia, policymakers, and health sector players to ensure that products are safe, of high quality, efficacious, accessible, and affordable," Yirenkyi told Xinhua.

Hao said that traditional medicine practice in Ghana and West Africa has been acknowledged by the World Health Organization as the crystallization of the wisdom of the people and a precious treasure for meeting health challenges.

"However, in modern societies, traditional medicine faces many difficulties, such as a lack of systematic research and promotion, as well as insufficient exchange with other medical systems. The establishment of WATMCEC is aimed precisely at addressing these challenges," Hao added. ■