Health
FG Moves to Strengthen Cancer Treatment, Detection Nationwide
The Federal Government has unveiled a major expansion of Nigeria’s cancer-control infrastructure, with plans to procure 25 additional linear accelerators between 2027 and 2029 and establish six Cancer Centres of Excellence across the country.
The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr.
Dr. Salako said the government had already commenced construction of six Cancer Centres of Excellence, with three completed and work progressing on the remaining three. He described the investments as part of a broader strategy to reduce cancer deaths through prevention, early detection and access to quality treatment.
He said the additional linear accelerators would significantly expand the country’s radiotherapy capacity and improve access to treatment for cancer patients.
In a remark, the President of the Nigerian Cancer Society, Prof. Abidemi Omonisi, said the renewed approach represents an important shift from fragmented cancer interventions to a coordinated national response.
Other stakeholders at the occasion, including the Chair of the NCCP Technical Working Group, Prof. Folakemi Odedina, and the Global Advisory Council Director at the University of Maryland Greenebaum Cancer Center, Prof. Taofeek Owonikoko, stressed that effective cancer-control strategies must be developed with communities, as challenges and solutions exist at the grassroots.