The Federal Government has announced plans to increase funding, strengthen local production of medicines and expand cancer research as part of efforts to improve prevention, diagnosis and treatment while reducing the financial burden on patients.
The Director-General of the National Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment (NICRAT), Prof. Usman Aliyu, disclosed this on Saturday in Abuja at the Best of American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Africa 2026 conference.
The conference, organised in collaboration with the African Organisation for Research and Training in Cancer (AORTIC), was themed: “From Global Discovery to Local Delivery: Driving Africa to the Cutting Edge of Cancer Care.”
Aliyu said the government had introduced several initiatives aimed at making cancer care more affordable, although treatment costs remained a major challenge for many Nigerians.
He explained that the Catastrophic Health Fund under the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) provided financial support for eligible patients undergoing cancer prevention, diagnosis, chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
He added that NICRAT also managed the National Cancer Health Fund, which assists indigent cancer patients who are unable to afford treatment.
“These are initiatives by the government to support Nigerians suffering from this dreadful disease,” Aliyu said.
The NICRAT director-general said the Presidential Initiative for Unlocking the Healthcare Value Chain would encourage local production of cancer medicines and improve access to affordable treatment.
He added that experts attending the conference would examine major studies presented at the ASCO annual meeting and explore ways of adapting successful innovations for African healthcare systems.
“We are trying to domesticate expensive treatments by producing much-needed medicines locally and translating global research into action in our clinics,” he said.
The Special Adviser on Research and Innovation to the Minister of State for Health, Dr Lolade Adewale, said the government was also expanding financial protection for cancer patients through targeted insurance programmes.
She said the Cancer Health Fund and the Social Determinants of Health Fund would help improve access to treatment for eligible patients.
“Within the next year, you will hear more about it,” Adewale said, referring to plans to strengthen cancer insurance coverage.
She also disclosed that Nigeria had launched three immunotherapy clinical studies for the first time, allowing patients to access advanced treatments that were previously unavailable in the country.
According to her, medicines including Nivolumab and Keytruda were being provided free of charge to eligible participants in the clinical trials, reducing the need for patients to travel abroad for treatment.
The immediate past president of AORTIC, Dr Miriam Mutebi, said Africa accounted for only about eight per cent of global cancer research output despite carrying a significant share of the disease burden.
She noted that research into cancers such as cervical and prostate cancer remained insufficient and called on African governments to honour their commitment to dedicate one per cent of gross domestic product to research and development.
Mutebi said increased domestic investment would help generate evidence needed to improve diagnosis, treatment completion rates, patient experiences and healthcare systems.
The Chief Medical Officer of ASCO, Dr Julie Gralow, said many major advances in cancer treatment had not been adequately tested among African populations.
She said the conference would provide an opportunity to examine how global cancer research could be adapted to African settings while addressing challenges relating to affordability and access.
