Health Minister Seeks Cross-Border Efforts To Eliminate Cancer From Africa
By Alice Etuka, Abuja
Nigeria’s Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Iziaq Salako, has called for intensified cross-border collaboration to combat Africa’s growing cancer crises.
Head, Information and Public Relations, Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Alaba Balogun disclosed this in a statement on Sunday.
Balogun said the Minister gave the call while revealing sweeping reforms, expanded cancer infrastructure and ambitious prevention strategies under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration.
Speaking at the Africa Oncology Collaboration and Innovation Forum held between December 5 and 8, 2025, at the Sonesta St. George Hotel in Luxor, Egypt; Dr. Salako said Africa must urgently unite to address what he described as a silent epidemic claiming more lives than war, AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis combined on the continent.
Quoting GLOBACAN 2022 data, the Minister revealed that Africa recorded 1,185,216 new cancer cases and 763,843 related deaths, figures largely driven by lifestyle and environmental risk factors, ageing populations, late detection and weak treatment infrastructure.
He noted that Nigeria alone accounts for 10.5 per cent of Africa’s cancer burden, ranking among the top three on the continent alongside Egypt and South Africa.
“These unacceptable figures demand that we bridge borders, share resources and establish a coordinated, Pan-African response. This is the essence of healthcare Pan-Africanism,” Salako stated.
The Minister announced that Nigeria has significantly scaled up its national cancer control efforts, citing the establishment of the National Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment in 2017 as the foundation of recent progress. He said that in the last 31 months under President Tinubu’s leadership, political will and budgetary allocations for oncology care have increased markedly.
Key interventions include the establishment of six new cancer centres of excellence across the country, procurement of specialised oncology equipment, expanded human capital development in cancer care and enhanced cross-border collaborations.
He also revealed the development of two landmark national policy documents designed to transform Nigeria’s cancer response: the National Nuclear Medicine Policy and Strategic Plan and the Nigeria National Cancer Control Plan 2026–2030.
The new Cancer Control Plan, scheduled for launch in the first quarter of 2026, is aligned with global frameworks such as the WHO Global Breast Cancer Initiative, the Global Initiative for Childhood Cancer and the Global Cancer Declaration by the Union for International Cancer Control. It outlines strategies for prevention, early detection, treatment, palliative care, survivorship, research, resource mobilisation and quality improvement.
In a major public health milestone, Dr. Salako disclosed that Nigeria, through its National Task Force on Cervical Cancer Elimination, is aiming to screen at least 50 per cent of eligible women by 2027 and treat 100 per cent of detected precancerous lesions.
He further highlighted the success of the HPV vaccination programme, introduced in October 2023, which has already immunised nearly 15 million Nigerian girls aged 9 to 14, positioning Nigeria as one of Africa’s most aggressive nations in cervical cancer prevention.
To reduce the catastrophic cost of cancer treatment, Dr. Salako announced that Nigeria’s National Health Insurance Programme is finalising plans to introduce a catastrophic health insurance scheme that includes cancer care coverage. In addition, the government is implementing a National Cancer Health Fund and supporting the Nigeria Cancer Society’s private-sector-led Cancer Intervention Fund to ease the financial burden on patients and families.
Dr. Salako officially declared Nigeria’s support for the proposed African Oncology Network, describing it as a crucial platform to consolidate expertise, mobilise investments and promote equitable access to quality cancer care across the continent.
” Nigeria is ready to contribute to entrench this spirit of Africa oncology collaboration and Cancer Care Pan-Africanism that bridge borders, shares resources and information…”
During a guided tour of Shefa Alorman Hospital, the Minister commended the facility as a phenomenal African achievement driven by vision, commitment and professional dedication.
He concluded by calling for a shift in continental priorities, saying Africa must move healthcare, especially cancer care, to the centre of its integration agenda in line with the African Union’s Agenda 2063. He stressed that beyond politics, security and trade, the continent must now embrace healthcare Pan-Africanism as a collective response to shared health challenges.
The forum brought together leading oncology experts, policymakers, development partners and civil society organisations from across Africa and beyond, under the theme, “Bridging borders for a stronger oncology care future in Africa.”
