By Zainab Bakare
The Federal Government has unveiled fresh measures to ease the burden of cancer treatment by expanding financial support for patients, widening insurance coverage and accelerating local production of cancer medicines.
The Director-General of the National Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment (NICRAT), Prof. Usman Malami, announced the initiatives at the Best of American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Africa 2026 Conference in Abuja, where stakeholders gathered to explore how global advances in cancer care can be adapted to African health systems.
Malami said the Catastrophic Health Fund, managed by the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), now subsidises cancer screening, diagnosis, chemotherapy and radiotherapy for eligible patients. He added that NICRAT’s National Cancer Health Fund also provides financial assistance to indigent cancer patients, helping to improve access to life-saving treatment.
He explained that the Presidential Initiative for Unlocking the Healthcare Value Chain would strengthen local manufacturing of cancer medicines, reduce reliance on imports and lower the cost of treatment. He also noted that researchers at the conference are reviewing leading global cancer studies to identify therapies suitable for implementation in African hospitals.
The Special Adviser on Research and Innovation to the Minister of State for Health, Dr. Lolade Adewale, said the government is expanding insurance coverage for cancer care through the Cancer Health Fund and the Social Determinants of Health Fund. She also announced that Nigeria has launched its first three immunotherapy clinical trials, providing eligible patients with free access to advanced cancer drugs, including Nivolumab and Keytruda.
Experts at the conference called for increased investment in cancer research across Africa, urging governments to strengthen collaboration, boost funding and generate more local evidence to improve diagnosis, treatment and patient outcomes.
According to the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer, Africa records more than one million new cancer cases and over 700,000 cancer-related deaths annually. In Nigeria, about 127,000 people are diagnosed with cancer each year, while nearly 80,000 die from the disease, with breast, cervical, prostate, liver and colorectal cancers accounting for the majority of cases.
