Abuja steps up cancer fights with nine locally designed projects
The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has deployed the City Cancer Challenge (C/Can) initiative to accelerate cancer care reform by launching nine locally designed projects developed through a community-driven process. The
The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has deployed the City Cancer Challenge (C/Can) initiative to accelerate cancer care reform by launching nine locally designed projects developed through a community-driven process.
The intervention comes amid concerns that cancer remains one of the country’s most pressing public health challenges, with access to quality care still uneven.
The Mandate Secretary of the Federal Capital Territory Health Services and Environment Secretariat, Dr. Adedolapo Fasawe, said the initiative reflects the urgency of coordinated action.
“Cancer remains a significant and growing public health challenge. Addressing it requires not only technical solutions but strong leadership, sustained commitment, and effective coordination,” she said.
Fasawe noted that the nine projects covering health systems coordination, quality of care, imaging, pathology and laboratory medicine, systemic therapy, radiotherapy and cancer surgery were designed to address identified gaps.
“These efforts represent a comprehensive and integrated response to these identified gaps. Together, they form a coordinated framework that will strengthen our health system and improve access to quality cancer services for residents of Abuja,” she said.
At the project kick-off meeting in Abuja, she described the programme as the outcome of more than two years of planning.
“Today marks a pivotal transition from planning to action. We are moving from design to implementation, from ideas to impact. This milestone reflects over 30 months of deliberate effort, collaboration, and strategic thinking aimed at transforming cancer care delivery in the FCT,” she said.
According to her, the projects originated from an extensive and structured engagement involving multiple stakeholders across the healthcare sector.
Using C/Can’s engagement framework, stakeholders mapped Abuja’s cancer care landscape in 2025 through a process involving 13 health institutions, 66 healthcare professionals, 16 civil society organisations, and 542 patients.
“Through this process, we generated strong, evidence-based insights into the gaps and challenges that exist from prevention and early detection to diagnosis, treatment, and palliative care,” she said.
Fasawe said implementation would be critical to achieving results, stressing, “Implementation is where plans are tested, partnerships are strengthened, and results are delivered. It will require discipline, accountability, and continued collaboration among all stakeholders".
She added that the government’s priority is measurable improvement in patient outcomes, “As a government, we are fully committed to driving this agenda forward and ensuring that these projects translate into measurable improvements in patient outcomes," she noted.
Fasawe acknowledged contributions from partners, including the Federal Ministry of Health, Medicaid Cancer Foundation, Clinton Health Access Initiative and C/Can, as well as the National Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment.
“Together, we are laying a solid foundation for a future where quality and accessible cancer services are available to every resident of Abuja,” she added.
Uchechukwu Nwokwu, National Coordinator of the National Cancer Control Programme, said, “These 9 projects reflect our collective voices and needs, and we are committed to delivering lasting impact.”
On her part, the Director for Africa and Europe, C/Can, Sophie Bussmann-Kemdjo, said, “Abuja has demonstrated that when governments and partners commit early and commit together, their results are transformative.
"The depth of engagement we have seen here underscores the importance of Nigeria’s scale in driving momentum for cancer care reform across West Africa.”
Expressing optimism about the initiative, the Chief Executive Officer of C/Can, Isabel Mestres, said, “Nigeria carries a significant share of Africa’s cancer burden, and Abuja is now taking concrete, locally-owned action to change that.
"These nine projects represent not just a plan, they represent a city that has done the work, built the evidence, and is ready to deliver.”
Dr. Zainab Shinkafi-Bagudu, founder of the Medicaid Cancer Foundation, said the C/Can model focuses on strengthening city-level health systems through data-driven interventions.
“They look at the structure in cities, the health systems, and try to improve that system in a way that will benefit cancer control,” she said, explaining that the approach begins with data collection and needs assessment before handing ownership to local authorities.
She noted that Abuja’s selection followed a competitive process and collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health, adding that implementation would bring tangible improvements.
“We will see different tangible things like cancer treatment machines, like diagnostic machines,” she said.
Regarding patient care, she urged continued support and awareness, saying, “Cancer patients… we first have to support them and tell them not to lose hope." She pointed to access and affordability as major challenges, noting that initiatives such as the programme offer improved prospects.
She also encouraged patients to seek guidance from credible sources, including civil society organisations, to navigate care options.
