Health
Nigeria partners China to expand radiotherapy capacity
The Nigerian government has strengthened its partnership with China to expand cancer care through technology transfer, professional training, research and expansion of radiotherapy capacity.
The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Iziaq Salako, disclosed this while delivering the opening address at the LINK Global Summit on Innovation and Practice in Oncology at the China National Convention Centre in Beijing, China.
This is according to a statement issued on Saturday and signed by Ado Bako, Assistant Director, Information and Public Relations, Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare.
The statement added that Nigeria also signed a strategic cooperation agreement with LinaTech, a Chinese company specialising in advanced radiation therapy solutions.
Cancer burden
Salako said cancer remained a national priority, noting that Nigeria recorded an estimated 127,763 new cancer cases and 79,542 deaths in 2022.
He said breast, prostate and cervical cancers accounted for more than 40 per cent of cancer mortality in the country.
According to the minister, Nigeria’s mortality-to-incidence ratio improved from 62.3 per cent in 2022 to 59.6 per cent in 2024, although he acknowledged that “significant work remained to be done.”
He said the government had, since May 2023, accelerated interventions across cancer prevention, awareness, early detection, treatment, financing, infrastructure, and research.
Salako cited the introduction of the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine into routine immunisation in October 2023, saying more than 14 million girls aged nine to 14 years had been reached.
He also mentioned the National Initiative for Cancer Early Detection, Screening and Coordinated Access to Network Care (NICE-SCAN), as well as initiatives of the Task Force for the Elimination of Cervical Cancer, as part of efforts to improve early detection and referral.
China partnership
The minister said the emerging partnership with China would provide technical assistance in radiotherapy, support joint research and development, facilitate academic exchanges, and build professional capacity.
He said Nigeria was a founding African partner of the LINK Global Oncology Alliance and had also participated in the inauguration of the Radiotherapy Working Group of the China-Africa Hospital Alliance.
Salako said Nigeria wanted the cooperation agreement to result in a joint work plan with designated focal persons and quarterly milestones.
“We want to see the twinning of our cancer centres of excellence, the National Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment(NICRAT), and our tertiary hospitals like the National Hospital, Abuja, with the Chinese cancer hospitals,” he said.
He also called for the establishment of a designated clinical training base in Nigeria to serve as a West African hub for advanced radiotherapy training.
He said Nigerian radiation oncologists, medical physicists, radiotherapy technologists and biomedical engineers should also have opportunities for fellowship training in China.
Beyond equipment
Salako said Nigeria’s long-term objective was not simply to acquire cancer equipment but to develop the technical and human capacity required to install, maintain and eventually manufacture cancer technologies locally.
“Machines without people are monuments,” he said, stressing that trained personnel, maintenance systems and sustainable technical support must back every linear accelerator installed.
He said Nigeria would also pursue technology transfer, local assembly and servicing of radiotherapy and imaging equipment, joint clinical trials, cancer registry-linked research, artificial intelligence-assisted treatment planning, adaptive radiotherapy and tele-oncology collaborations by 2030.
The minister said the government’s incentives for health manufacturing, including zero-duty and zero-VAT measures, provided an enabling environment for investment in local production and technology transfer.
Cancer treatment, research
Mr Salako said six cancer centres of excellence were being developed, with three already completed and commissioned in Katsina, Enugu and Benin.
He said the centres were equipped with modern linear accelerators, while work on the remaining three was progressing.
He also disclosed that President Bola Tinubu had approved the procurement and installation of 35 additional linear accelerators between 2026 and 2028 to expand access to radiotherapy further.
The minister said the government had also strengthened NICRAT, which had trained about 140 early-career cancer scientists and supported 24 research grants.
ALSO READ: Cancer Care: Nigeria has only eight certified radiotherapy centres – Official
He identified the National Cancer Access Programme, Catastrophic Health Insurance Scheme, National Cancer Health Fund, and Social Determinants of Cancer Care Fund as mechanisms to improve access to cancer medicines and care while alleviating the financial burden on patients and families.
Salako said the interventions were being implemented under the Nigeria National Cancer Control Plan 2026–2030, which prioritises prevention, decentralised diagnosis and treatment, financial risk protection, oncology workforce development, clinical trials and cancer registries.
He also mentioned the recent inauguration of the Blood Cancer Consortium as part of efforts to enhance coordination in the national cancer-control response.
He stated that the government aimed for the China partnership to help translate oncology innovations into tangible improvements in patient care.
“Innovation in oncology is meaningful only where it reaches the patient. Let this summit be remembered not for what was displayed, but for what was delivered. Nigeria is ready, our plan is costed, our partners are welcome, and the patients are waiting,” he said.
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The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) says the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) remains active, with 7,820 cases and 3,779 deaths recorded nationwide.
Wessam Mankoula, regional director at the Northern Africa Regional Coordinating Centre, Africa CDC, said this during a Thursday webinar on the Ebola outbreak in the DRC and ongoing response efforts.
Mr Mankoula said the outbreak had affected 63 health zones across seven provinces, with 49 health zones still in the active phase and continuing to report cases across the DRC during response operations.
He said eight health zones had entered the sustained controlled phase, while six others were in the controlled phase after reporting no cases for specified periods under routine monitoring.
According to him, the outbreak has plateaued over the past five weeks, partly driven by declining cases in Ituri, the epicentre of the outbreak in DRC, and surrounding areas.
He, however, cautioned against interpreting the decline as evidence that the outbreak was under control, noting that some provinces were still recording upward trends in several affected provinces.
Mr Mankoula said cases in Ituri declined by 25 per cent during the latest three-week period, while deaths dropped by 31 per cent compared with the previous three weeks overall, as recently reported.
He said North Kivu recorded a different trend, with cases increasing by 56 per cent and deaths rising by 19 per cent during the same three-week period there, in recent weeks.
The official said North Kivu also recorded the highest case-fatality ratio of about 60.5 per cent, compared with the national average of approximately 48 per cent during the outbreak period.
He attributed the situation partly to insecurity and limited access to affected communities, which were making active case searches and contact tracing increasingly difficult for health workers in affected areas.
Mr Mankoula said children below five years were among the most affected groups, prompting collaboration with UNICEF to strengthen case management for paediatric patients in affected areas in the region as needed.
He said community transmission remained a major concern, with about 65 per cent of reported cases occurring within communities, requiring stronger engagement and deployment of community health workers across affected communities.
Mr Mankoula said the contact listing had improved from about 10 contacts per case at the beginning of the outbreak to approximately 20 per case in affected areas currently.
He said the figure remained below the target of 60 contacts per case, emphasising the need to strengthen contact tracing and community-based surveillance in affected communities nationwide.
READ ALSO: Ebola spread in DRC linked to delayed detection, insecurity — Africa CDC
The Africa CDC official said the response had also expanded laboratory capacity, with 24 laboratories now able to conduct more than 3,400 tests daily across affected areas in the affected region.
He said additional laboratory equipment and more than 100,000 test kits had been provided to strengthen testing in affected and neighbouring areas across the region, supporting response efforts. (NAN)
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The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) says delayed detection, diagnostic challenges, insecurity and community mistrust contributed to Ebola’s rapid spread in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
Yap Boum II, head of emergency preparedness and response, Africa CDC, said this on Thursday during a webinar on the ongoing Ebola outbreak in DRC.
Mr Boum said the outbreak involved Bundibugyo virus, a less commonly detected Ebola species, unlike the Zaire strain previously associated with most Ebola outbreaks in the DRC.
He said existing diagnostic test kits in eastern DRC could not initially detect Bundibugyo virus, allowing the disease to spread undetected before laboratory confirmation and response measures.
According to him, the outbreak was detected and officially declared on 15 May, almost five months after the disease had begun spreading in the region.
Mr Boum said delayed detection contributed to the rapid escalation from eight cases in three health zones to more than 2,000 cases across 46 health zones.
He said the outbreak had subsequently expanded to 63 health zones across seven provinces, making it the largest Ebola outbreak recorded in the DRC.
The official identified insecurity and limited accessibility in eastern DRC as major operational challenges affecting active case searches, contact tracing and access for response teams.
He said community mistrust had further complicated efforts to control transmission, requiring stronger engagement with affected communities and increased community-based response activities.
READ ALSO: Ebola: Nigeria on high alert as cases rise in DRC
Mr Boum said the current outbreak differed from previous Ebola outbreaks in the DRC because of the virus type, insecurity, accessibility challenges and community concerns.
He said the situation demonstrated the need for stronger diagnostic preparedness for less common pathogens, particularly in regions where outbreaks could spread before laboratory confirmation.
The Africa CDC official called for increased resources and political support to enable responders to access affected communities and strengthen disease-control operations safely.
He said the response required not only financial resources but also political support to improve security, community cooperation and access to affected areas.
(NAN)
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