Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Kenya's Kenyatta University have signed an agreement to jointly establish the China-Kenya Traditional Medicine Center.

The agreement was signed during the Kenya-Shandong Dialogue on Traditional Medicine Cooperation and Development, held at Kenyatta University in Kenya's capital Nairobi on Oct 25.

Senior officials from East China's Shandong province, including those from Shandong Provincial People's Congress and the Provincial Foreign Affairs Office, and representatives of the Shandong Chamber of Commerce in Kenya also attended the meeting.

Sun Licheng, vice-chairman of the Standing Committee of the Shandong Provincial People's Congress, said that Shandong is championing traditional medicine as a pivotal emerging industry. The province is keen on pioneering a series of innovative traditional medicines and is enthusiastic about collaborating with Kenya, which would encompass robust industrial partnerships, standard making and deepened cultural exchanges in traditional medicine, he said.

Li Kejian, president of Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, said that the envisioned center would evolve into a comprehensive hub for traditional medicine services and cultural outreach. While it would primarily target Kenya, its influence would span across East Africa and potentially all of Africa, aiming to enhance the health welfare of its residents, he said.

Paul Wainaina, Kenyatta University's vice-chancellor, said that the cooperation between the two universities comes at the right time.

"We used to have a small laboratory where we would analyze the efficacy of various herbal concoctions, but the laboratory was inadequate," he said. "We want to be able to commercialize what we have. We are looking forward to looking at the herbal resources we have in Kenya and what the Chinese partners can contribute with a view of working together to produce supplementary medicine."

According to the Foreign Affairs Office of the People's Government of Shandong province, the center's objectives are multifaceted, including initiating an international laboratory for traditional medicine, standardizing African traditional medicine practices, facilitating personnel training, and fostering enterprise alliances for protecting and innovating medicinal resources, processing traditional medicinal herbs, and promoting trade in traditional medicinal products.