The Federal Government has announced plans to procure 35 Linear Accelerators over the next three years as part of efforts to improve cancer treatment and reduce the disease burden in Nigeria.
The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Iziaq Adekunle Salako, disclosed this on Wednesday in Abuja while declaring open the 2026 International Cancer Week organised by the National Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment (NICRAT).
The event is themed, “United Against Cancer: Building Resilient, Innovative and Equitable Systems Across the Cancer Care Continuum.”
Salako said the procurement of the Linear Accelerators was part of key interventions under the National Cancer Control Plan (NCCP) 2026–2030, being implemented through the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative (NHSRII).
He said the plan targets at least a 30 per cent reduction in Nigeria’s cancer burden by 2030 through improved prevention, early diagnosis, data management and access to standardised treatment.
“The plan targets at least a 30 per cent reduction in Nigeria’s cancer burden by 2030 through improved prevention, early diagnosis, data management and standardised treatment,” he said.
According to him, the government is also developing and commissioning cancer centres of excellence, expanding diagnostic services and providing Immunohistochemistry services under the Nigeria Cancer Access Partnership Programme.
Salako said prevention remained central to the government’s cancer-control strategy, noting that eight NICRAT Preventive Oncology Clinics had been established across the six geopolitical zones to expand access to early detection.
He said more than 18 million girls aged nine to 14 had received HPV vaccination, while the National Taskforce on Cervical Cancer Elimination was coordinating efforts towards achieving the World Health Organisation’s 2030 elimination target.
“Prevention must remain at the centre of our national response because prevention is not only better; it is cheaper and it is everything,” Salako said.
The minister said the government was also deploying technology and research to improve cancer care, including digital health, artificial intelligence, telemedicine, molecular diagnostics, precision medicine and cancer registries.
He said financial protection was equally important in ensuring that patients could complete treatment.
“Financial protection, through the National Cancer Health Fund and catastrophic health expenditure financing mechanisms, is critical to ensuring that cost does not stop anyone from completing treatment,” he said.
Salako also called for greater collaboration among stakeholders, saying cancer control could not be achieved by government alone.
“Cancer control is a shared responsibility. Our goal is clear: no Nigerian should be denied lifesaving cancer care because of poverty, geography or social circumstance,” he said.
He urged Nigerians to take advantage of available prevention, screening and early-detection services, while calling on government institutions, development partners, academia, professional associations, the private sector, civil society and patient groups to turn the outcomes of the International Cancer Week into measurable action.