Miriam Mutebi, Consultant Breast Surgical Oncologist, shared on X:
“The global cancer divide is real. Closing that gap requires research rooted in our own contexts that is funded by us, for us. My take from Best Of ASCO Acfrica 2026 in Abuja.
𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧.
𝐀𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐝𝐫𝐮𝐠𝐬 𝐨𝐫 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐢𝐞𝐬.
It is about who gets to access them, and who funds the research that makes them relevant to our context.
Last week in Abuja, at the Best Of ASCO Africa meeting, that conversation came into sharp focus.
Medical experts, researchers, government officials, and development partners gathered to discuss practical strategies for strengthening cancer care and expanding access to quality treatment across the continent.
The global cancer divide is real. The therapies and technologies available to an #oncologist in the Global North are fundamentally different from what is accessible in Nigeria, in Kenya, in many parts of Africa.
Closing that divide requires more than goodwill. It requires coordinated action, sustained investment, and research that is rooted in our own contexts and communities.
My contribution to the discussion was a simple but important one:
At the grassroots level, what civil society can do is motivate and advocate for funding to be used for contextual research. This is research that reflects African realities, African patients, and African health systems.
Nigeria offered a moment of genuine optimism: three immunotherapy studies launched in-country for the first time.
That is what progress looks like when political will and partnership align.
In 2012, African Union (AU) member states committed to dedicating 1% of GDP to research and development. That commitment, if honoured and directed well, could transform what is possible.
Discovery happens globally. But recovery, which is the translation of those discoveries into better outcomes for patients, MUST happen locally.
That is the work. And Abuja reminded me that more people across the continent are committed to it than ever before.
Image: With my co-chair, Dr. Abiola Ibraheem, and the Honourable Minister of Health during the Best of ASCO Africa meeting in Abuja.”
Other articles about ASCO 2026 on OncoDaily.
