Abstract:
This paper examines government support for the development and institutionalization of Hausa traditional medicine in Kano between 1960 and 2017, highlighting the role of both the Kano State and Federal Governments in advancing indigenous healthcare practices. It argues that these initiatives increased awareness among practitioners of the need to modernize and professionalize their centuries-old medical traditions. The study situates its analysis within the broader historical evolution of Nigeria’s healthcare system, tracing how colonial medical policies marginalized indigenous healing while privileging Western medicine. Following independence, however, the Nigerian government began to recognize traditional medicine as a vital component of national healthcare, prompted by factors such as the persistence of medical pluralism, the reliance of rural populations on indigenous practitioners, and the inadequacy of modern medical infrastructure. The economic crises of the 1980s, particularly under the Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP), further deepened the healthcare gap, forcing many Nigerians to depend on traditional practitioners for affordable treatment. In response, government efforts sought to regulate and formalize traditional medicine through policies and programs designed to enhance its safety, efficacy, and integration into the public health system. Ultimately, the paper highlights how the historical and socio-economic realities of Kano shaped the evolving relationship between indigenous medical knowledge and state-driven healthcare reforms, revealing both the opportunities and tensions inherent in the modernization of Hausa traditional medicine practice.
Keywords: institutionalization, traditional medicine, Hausa medicine practitioners
DOI: 10.36349/sokotojh.2025.v13i01.011
