The federal government weekend reaffirmed its commitment to progress in cancer research, prevention and care with a vision to reduce cancer burden by 30% by 2030.
The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Iziaq Adekunle Salako, stated this in his speech at African Organization For Research and Training in Cancer, (AORTIC), in Abuja.
He said Nigeria is the most populous nation in the continent, and accounts for about 10.5% of the figure for Africa, sharing the unenviable top 3 positions with Egypt and South Africa.
With the theme: “From Global Discovery to Local Recovery: Driving Africa to the Cutting Edge of Cancer Care,” Dr Salako stated that it reflects the commitment to translating global oncology advances into specific solutions that improve the outcome in Africa.
The minister stated that Nigeria has demonstrated resilience backed by the highest level of political support to address challenges in the entire cancer care continuum.
“We are vigorously implementing the Nigeria National Cancer Control Plan 2026-2030 with the ambitious goal of reducing cancer burden in Nigeria by 30% by 2030,” he said.
Dr Salako added that the Technical Working Group (TWG), has demonstrated capacity to assist with the implementation of the Nigeria National Cancer Control Plan, using an implementation science approach to turn the plan into impact.
“The burden is however not an intractable fate, it is a solvable problem,’ he said.
He added that the science of prevention is settled; the policy frameworks are in place and in a number of African countries, including Nigeria, the political will is demonstrably stronger than at any previous point in the health governance history.