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 Africa 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.
