Commonwealth names Nigeria top country progressing in cervical cancer elimination

L-R: Chair, Commonwealth International Cervical Cancer Taskforce, Dr Miriam Mutebi; Ms Sofiat Akinola, Director, Health Policy & External Affairs, Roche Diagnostics; Health Adviser, Commonwealth Secretariat, Dr Janneth Mghamba; Acting Senior Director, Social Development Youth and Gender Directorate, Commonwealth Secretariat, Jennifer Namgyal; Chair of the CHCF,  Leslie Ramsammy, former Guyana Minister of Health and Permanent Representative of Guyana to the UN Office in Geneva, during the launch of a new “Compendium of Case Studies on Cervical Cancer Elimination” by the Commonwealth Secretariat at the inaugural Commonwealth Health Coordination Forum that held in Geneva, Switzerland.

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Nigeria’s efforts to reduce cervical cancer cases have drawn attention at the Commonwealth level, with the country listed among 12 member nations making progress in vaccination, screening and treatment.

Nigeria was singled out for her nationwide rollout of the single dose HPV vaccine campaign introduced in October 2023 under the leadership of First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu. Officials at the meeting said nearly 17 million girls had been vaccinated by early 2026.

The recognition came during the launch of a new “Compendium of Case Studies on Cervical Cancer Elimination” by the Commonwealth Secretariat at the inaugural Commonwealth Health Coordination Forum that held in Geneva, Switzerland.

The activity was held ahead of the 79th World Health Assembly (WHA) under the theme “Shaping the Future of Cancer Across the Commonwealth”.

The new report, produced with support from member states and Roche Diagnostics, was presented before health ministers, policy experts and development partners concerned about the growing burden of cervical cancer across Commonwealth countries.

Across much of the developing world, cervical cancer remains one of the leading causes of cancer related deaths among women, largely because many cases are detected late and access to screening remains limited.

Discussions at the forum focused heavily on financing. Countries shared concerns over shrinking donor support and rising healthcare costs, while calling for stronger domestic funding mechanisms to sustain cancer prevention and treatment.

During a session on cancer financing co-chaired by the Director General of the National Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment (NICRAT), Prof. Usman Aliyu Malami, who represented the Minister of State for Health, Dr. Iziaq Salako, participants argued that cancer services must remain part of Universal Health Coverage despite economic pressures facing health systems.

Alongside the report, the Secretariat also introduced a Cervical Cancer Advocacy Toolkit aimed at helping First Ladies and spouses of Heads of Government drive awareness campaigns in their countries.

In a message contained in the foreword, Commonwealth Secretary General Shirley Botchwey said women’s health should occupy a more central place in public policy discussions across member states.

"First Ladies have a unique capacity to mobilise public attention, influence national dialogue, and inspire action on issues of profound social importance,” she said.

“This toolkit has been developed to support First Ladies, Spouses and partners of Heads of Government in leading informed, strategic, and impactful advocacy for cervical cancer elimination across Commonwealth countries.”

She said by placing women's health, equity, and dignity at the centre of national priorities, progress can be accelerated towards a future where no woman dies from a preventable disease.

Former Guyana Minister of Health and Permanent Representative of Guyana to the United Nations Office in Geneva, Leslie Ramsammy, who chaired  the forum,  said: "Our purpose today is to identify where Commonwealth co-operation can add practical value. This includes strengthening national cancer control plans, improving early detection and diagnosis, expanding access to treatment and palliative care, and improving data systems for better planning and accountability."

In the view of the Assistant Director-General, Health Promotion, Disease Prevention and Care, World Health Organisation, Dr Jeremy Farrar, "We need to address cancer initiatives in a continuum, by examining three strategic areas: promotion, prevention and treatment.

“The best way of connecting is to make sure that our health systems work for everybody in an equitable and accessible way. We have to reconnect our politics and our policies with communities and health.  This health forum could help us push that forward."

Discussions on cancer prevention, early detection, treatment and care were informed by the findings of the Lancet Oncology Commission on Cancer in the Commonwealth.

Chairman of the forum and former Guyanese Health Minister, Leslie Ramsammy, said the Commonwealth must focus less on broad declarations and more on practical support in areas such as diagnosis, treatment access, palliative care and health data systems.

Also speaking, Jeremy Farrar of the World Health Organisation said stronger health systems are essential if cancer prevention programmes are to succeed.

He said prevention, screening and treatment must work together rather than operate separately.

Countries highlighted for notable interventions included Australia, which combined HPV vaccination with organised screening and self collection methods, and Bangladesh, which carried out a large scale HPV vaccination campaign backed by digital tracking systems.

Kenya was recognised for using multi sector partnerships to implement its national cancer strategy, while Zambia was cited for integrating cervical cancer screening into HIV care services through a single visit screen and treat approach.

In a recorded message to delegates, President Mohamed Irfaan Ali urged deeper collaboration across the Commonwealth, saying no country could eliminate cervical cancer alone.

Recommendations from the forum are expected to feed into future Commonwealth health meetings as member states pursue the long term target of eliminating cervical cancer as a public health threat by 2050.

100,000 zero-dose children vaccinated in Lagos

 

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More than 100,000 previously unreached children have now been identified and vaccinated under a targeted campaign aimed at reducing the growing burden of zero dose children in Lagos State.

The campaign, known as the Better Opportunities for Optimised Targeted Intervention (BOOST) project for Zero-Dose and Unimmunised Children in Nigeria, is being implemented in Lagos by Save The Children International, Nigeria, in collaboration with the Lagos State Primary Health Care Development Board (PHCB), with support from GlaxoSmithKline (GSK).

The intervention is focusing on hard-to-reach communities in Ikorodu and Alimosho Local Government Areas.

Speaking during a courtesy call to the Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State PHCB, Dr. Ibrahim Mustapha, the Chief of Party for the Immunisation Programme at Save The Children International, Dr. Olatunde Adesoro, said, “Lagos accounts for the largest share in absolute numbers because of its huge population and expanding informal settlements.

"In Lagos, particularly in Alimosho and Ikorodu local governments where we are working, we are targeting about 140,000 zero dose children," Adesoro said.

"Out of that target, our last count showed we had already reached over 100,000 children, that means we are on track."

Adesoro said many of the children are concentrated in migrant settlements, riverine areas, slums and densely populated informal communities where access to healthcare services remains poor.

"They are in migrant communities, hard to reach communities, informal settlements and slums."

Further, he said a major breakthrough of the project is the deliberate mapping of neglected communities and the use of outreach services to take vaccines directly to families unable to access health facilities because of distance or economic hardship.

"The first thing we did was identify where these zero dose children are and work with community people to reach them and ensure immunisation services get to them.  

“One of the things we do is take services directly to them because many of them find it difficult to come to facilities," Adesoro said.

He emphasised that reducing the number of unreached children was critical to preventing future disease outbreaks in Lagos and across Nigeria.

"The risk is not just for them, it is also for the community as a whole," he noted.The current intervention is being used as a pilot model that could eventually be scaled up by the Lagos State Government across other local government areas.