First Ladies across Africa have joined forces to accelerate cancer prevention and treatment, focusing on promoting early detection and treatment to reduce the disease on the continent. They announced their resolve during the third Regional Seminar on Cancer Awareness, hosted by Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, in Abuja.
The seminar, attended by First Ladies from member-states of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), aimed to share knowledge and mobilize resources to combat cancer, particularly breast and cervical cancer, among women. In a statement by her spokesperson, Busola Kukoyi, Senator Tinubu emphasized the need to reverse the grim cancer statistics in Nigeria, which recorded 127,763 new cases and 79,542 deaths in the past year alone.
Addressing the seminar, the First Lady noted that while President Bola Tinubu had taken up the diagnostic and treatment component of cancer care, she would lead the advocacy to promote innovative approaches to prevention and early detection. She expressed her commitment to reducing late presentation and improving treatment outcomes.
“My major interest is to reduce the prevalence of late presentation in order to improve treatment outcomes. Reports from various cancer registries in the country, corroborated by Globocan Data, showed 127,763 new cancer cases and 79,542 deaths within the year. The prevalent cases of cancer over five years in the country stood at 269,109,” Senator Tinubu said.
Highlighting the impact of cervical cancer, she added, “Globocan shows that cervical cancer is the second commonest cancer among women in Nigeria. Fortunately, it is preventable and curable when detected early. This has led to my stand in championing preventive measures and early detection approach to all preventable and curable cancers in Nigeria.”
House of Representatives Speaker Tajudeen Abbas stressed the need to enact a National Cancer Act, expressing confidence that with the First Ladies leading the advocacy, the outcomes would be more positive.
The First Lady of Turkey, Emine Erdogan, urged Africans to promote a good dietary system and leverage their rich medicinal resources. Presenting situation reports on cancer management in their countries, the First Ladies from OIC African member-states, including Sierra Leone, The Gambia, and the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, emphasized the need to forge alliances and raise awareness of the deadly disease.
Following the seminar and its technical session, the Abuja Declaration was made by Senator Oluremi Tinubu, with the other First Ladies appending their signatures. The resolutions of the Declaration include improved funding, heightened advocacy, and enhanced collaboration between member-states.
