Project PINK BLUE (PPB) has raised the alarm that Nigeria contributed only 19% of the entire cancer research in Sub-Saharan Africa, translating to 4% of the cancer research in Africa.
According to records, of 23,679 cancer research papers published in different peer-reviewed journals by African scientists and academic over a 12-year period, only 5,281 were from sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and Nigeria’s contribution were only 997, that is, 19% of the SSA total and 4% of entire Africa (Mutebi, et al., 2022).
The executive director of Project PINK BLUE, Runcie C.W. Chidebe, who expressed concern in Abuja said for a country with over 200 million people with 120,000 cancer incidences and 72,000 cancer deaths, which is the highest cancer burden in the whole of Africa, Nigeria’s contribution to cancer research is poor and does not reflect any progress.
He said poor cancer research in Nigeria could be responsible for poor cancer management including the rising cancer deaths. He said Nigeria can make progress in cancer control if we invest in cancer research.
The programme coordinator & Breast Cancer Survivor, Gloria C. Okwu, while briefing newsmen at the Cancer Research training at the National Hospital in Abuja, weekend said so many questions on cancer have remained unanswered in cancer care in Nigeria.
