Nigeria has unveiled an ambitious plan to achieve technology transfer and local manufacturing of radiotherapy and imaging equipment by 2030, as part of a broader strategy to revolutionise cancer care across the nation.
Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Iziaq Salako, announced the initiative following the Link Global Summit on Innovation and Practice in Oncology in Beijing, China. The minister emphasised that Nigeria is actively seeking stronger international partnerships to translate oncology innovations into practical, accessible solutions for patients.
“Looking to 2030, our ambitions are larger. We want technology transfer, and the local assembly and servicing of radiotherapy and imaging equipment in Nigeria,” Mr Salako stated.
The federal government’s zero-duty and zero-VAT incentives for health manufacturing, he explained, would bolster efforts to build domestic capacity. Nigeria also seeks joint clinical trials and registry-linked research to better understand cancer phenotypes affecting African populations, alongside AI-assisted treatment planning, adaptive radiotherapy, and tele-oncology links between Chinese and Nigerian cancer centres.
Mr Salako stressed that technology must be accompanied by comprehensive training and maintenance systems to ensure sustainability. “Machines without people are monuments,” he cautioned, highlighting the need for trained personnel, in-country servicing, and spare-parts arrangements.
The minister proposed twinning Nigeria’s cancer centres of excellence, including the National Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment (NICRAT) and tertiary hospitals, with Chinese counterparts. He also called for the Radiotherapy Working Group of the China-Africa Hospital Alliance to establish a clinical training base in Nigeria, serving as a West African hub for advanced radiotherapy training and creating fellowship pipelines with Chinese institutions.
The Memorandum of Understanding signed with China commits to radiotherapy technical support, joint research and development, structured academic exchanges, and assistance in establishing professional bodies to govern radiotherapy practice.
Mr Salako noted that Nigeria’s cancer-control ambitions are anchored in the Nigeria National Cancer Control Plan 2026–2030, which prioritises prevention, decentralised diagnostics, radiotherapy, and treatment options across geopolitical zones. The government is also strengthening financial risk protection, developing the oncology workforce, and building national clinical trial and cancer registry ecosystems.
With an estimated 127,763 new cancer cases and 79,542 deaths recorded in 2022, Nigeria’s mortality-to-incidence ratio has improved from 62.3 per cent to 59.6 per cent. The National Cancer Access Programme, Catastrophic Health Insurance Scheme, and National Cancer Health Fund are supporting essential care, while the Social Determinants of Cancer Care Fund enhances affordability.
NICRAT is strengthening research by training approximately 140 early-career scientists and funding 24 research grants. “Innovation in oncology is meaningful only where it reaches the patient,” Mr Salako affirmed.
“Our ambition is simple: prevent more cancers, detect them earlier, expand access to quality treatment, reduce financial hardship and save more lives,” he concluded.