Nigeria seeks stronger collaboration, financing to tackle cane burden

By Anan Geolengs

Nigeria’s high burden of hepatitis B and liver cancer, coupled with late presentation and limited specialist treatment capacity, has underscored the need for stronger research collaboration and sustainable financing to improve cancer prevention, diagnosis and treatment, health experts said on Thursday in Abuja.

The experts spoke at the 5th Africa Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Cancer Consortium Conference, which brought together cancer specialists, researchers and healthcare professionals from more than 30 African countries, as well as participants from the United States, Europe and Asia.

The conference was organised by the African Organisation for Research and Training in Cancer, the African Society of Liver and Digestive Diseases, the Nigerian Cancer Society, the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, and the Society for Gastroenterology and Hepatology in Nigeria.

The Minister of State for Health, Dr Adekunle Salako, said Nigeria’s cancer response remained constrained by late presentation, inadequate diagnostic services, shortages of skilled personnel, limited access to advanced treatment, high costs, weak health systems and insufficient research.

Represented by Prof Musa Ali-Gonbe, Director of Clinical Services at the National Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment, NICRAT, Salako said the Federal Government was strengthening prevention and early detection while expanding diagnostic and treatment services under the National Strategic Cancer Control Plan.

He said particular attention was being given to liver cancer through the prevention and control of hepatitis B and C, including vaccination, screening, diagnosis and treatment.

The minister added that government was working to integrate cancer screening into primary healthcare and to strengthen referral pathways to tertiary centres.

“What is needed is stronger collaboration, coordinated action, sustainable financing and political commitment to translate knowledge and research into accessible healthcare services,” he said.

Salako said the government was also strengthening financial protection through initiatives such as the National Cancer Health Fund and the Cancer Access Partnership Programme, which provides subsidised chemotherapy medicines.

He called for increased investment in African-led research, cancer registries, clinical trials, technology, innovation and digital health, including artificial intelligence, to improve early detection, diagnosis and treatment.

President and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Cancer Society, Prof Abidemi Omonisi, said Nigeria’s high hepatitis B burden was particularly concerning because chronic infection is a major cause of liver cancer in sub-Saharan Africa.

“Sub-Saharan Africa, particularly Nigeria, has the highest burden of hepatitis B. People with the hepatitis B virus, if not properly managed and treated, can die from liver cancer,” he said.

Omonisi, who is also lead of the Africa Hepatobiliary Cancer Consortium, disclosed that the Federal Government had committed to establishing a liver transplant programme in Nigeria, with discussions ongoing on a strategic partnership and a memorandum of understanding.

He noted that Nigeria currently has no centre offering liver transplantation, despite the procedure being a key treatment option for eligible patients with advanced liver cancer.

“People don’t die from liver cancer in developed countries because they can do liver transplants,” Omonisi said, citing Egypt and South Africa as examples. He said establishing the programme would reduce the need for Nigerians to travel abroad for treatment.

President of the African Institute for Liver and Digestive Diseases, Prof Lewis Roberts, called for greater emphasis on early detection and locally driven research to tackle hepatobiliary cancers, which he said often affect Africans at younger ages.

“Prevention and early diagnosis remain critical because cancers detected early are generally easier and less costly to treat,” he said.

Roberts advocated research into blood-based diagnostic tests and tumour biology to support targeted chemotherapy and immunotherapy. He noted that the cost of advanced treatments, including monoclonal antibodies, remained beyond the reach of many African health systems.

“We have to start now, and we have to start here,” he said, urging African scientists to develop cancer solutions suited to the continent’s realities.

Also speaking, Dr Folakemi Odedina, Cancer Researcher and Academic Leader at Mayo Clinic, emphasised the need to build legacy in cancer care.

“Leadership should not be the only goal, but legacy should be the goal. If you are in a leadership position, you should be able to champion other people and step aside at the right time to build people, build systems, and build legacy,” she said.