Director of Programmes and Research for the Nature Conservation Research Centre (NCRC), Dr. Rebecca Ashley Asare, has called for greater investment in Ghana’s medicinal and useful plants, describing the country’s forests as central to its health, heritage, and economic future.

Speaking at the commemoration of World Wildlife Day, Dr Asare reminded participants of a local proverb she has come to appreciate.

“There’s a proverb I’ve learned from you — don’t be ungrateful to the forest that has saved you,” she said.

“Our forests and woodlands are integral to sustaining our health, our heritage and our legacy. It’s who we are as Ghanaians. It’s where we come from,” she added.

She, however, expressed concern that Ghana’s forests remain under serious threat, noting that one of the most overlooked resources within them is medicinal and aromatic plants.

“One of the most overlooked things in our forests is these herbal and medicinal plants. They are immensely important to our health, to the ecosystem, and they hold tremendous economic opportunity,” she stressed.

Dr Asare shared a practical example from the Kakum National Park landscape, where her organisation has partnered with the Wildlife Division and local community leaders over the past five years.

According to her, they identified a tree locally known as Otie, also called African nutmeg or kombo nut, which has significant international demand.

“It’s not just an herbal medicine from the forest. It actually has international value. It helps reduce swelling and body pain and is used by people who suffer from arthritis. Even the horse racing industry uses it to treat joint pain in animals,” she explained.

Despite its global demand, Dr Asare noted that the product remains largely unknown in Ghana.

Over the past five years, she said, more than 15,000 kilogrammes of kombo nuts have been harvested from forests and farms by over 1,000 farmers, with the produce purchased at the same price as cocoa.

“Most of our beneficiaries are women — over 80 per cent,” she revealed.

She further disclosed plans to establish a processing factory this year within the Kakum landscape to add value locally and expand economic opportunities for communities.

“This is just one example. There are thousands of plants in our forests and woodlands with economic, health and cultural value,” she emphasised.

Dr Asare urged Ghanaians to see forest resources not as relics of the past, but as opportunities for the future.

“Don’t go chasing TikTok and AI and all these technologies. Let’s look at what we already have in our natural systems. Let’s invest in our health, our legacy and our environment,” she said.

“Let’s not forget what the forest has already given to us.”