The Federal Government has intensified efforts to prevent and detect liver cancer early by strengthening the prevention and control of hepatitis B and C, the Minister of State for Health, Dr Adekunle Salako, has said.

Salako spoke on Thursday in Abuja at the 5th Africa Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Cancer Consortium Conference, where cancer specialists, researchers and healthcare professionals from more than 30 African countries, as well as participants from the United States, Europe and Asia, discussed strategies to improve the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of hepatobiliary and gastrointestinal cancers.

The minister, who was represented by the Director of Clinical Services at the National Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment, Prof Musa Ali-Gonbe, said Nigeria’s cancer response remained constrained by late presentation, inadequate specialised diagnostic services, shortages of skilled personnel and limited access to advanced treatment.

He also identified high treatment costs, weak health systems and insufficient research as major challenges affecting cancer outcomes in the country.

He said, “Particular attention is being given to liver cancer through the prevention and control of hepatitis B and C, including vaccination, screening, diagnosis and treatment.”

Salako said the Federal Government was strengthening prevention and early detection while expanding diagnostic and treatment services under the National Strategic Cancer Control Plan.

He said particular attention was being given to liver cancer through the prevention and control of hepatitis B and C, including vaccination, screening, diagnosis and treatment.

According to him, the government was also working to integrate cancer screening into primary healthcare and strengthen referral pathways to tertiary centres.

Salako said stronger collaboration among government institutions, professional bodies, academia, civil society, development partners and the private sector was critical to improving cancer outcomes.

“What is needed is stronger collaboration, coordinated action, sustainable financing and political commitment to translate knowledge and research into accessible healthcare services,” he said.

The minister said the government was also strengthening financial protection for cancer patients through initiatives including the National Cancer Health Fund and the Cancer Access Partnership Programme, which provides subsidised chemotherapy medicines.

He further called for increased investment in African-led research, cancer registries and clinical trials, as well as technology, innovation and digital health.

Salako said emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, should also be deployed to improve early cancer detection, diagnosis and treatment.

Also speaking as a guest speaker, Dr Folakemi Odedina, a cancer researcher and academic leader at Mayo Clinic, called for deliberate efforts to develop the next generation of scientists, clinicians and cancer advocates capable of sustaining advances in cancer research and care.

Odedina said senior professionals should measure their success not only by the leadership positions they attain but by the people and institutions they develop.

“Leadership is not the only goal, but legacy should be the goal,” she said.

She urged professionals in leadership positions to mentor younger colleagues, create opportunities for them and prepare them to assume leadership responsibilities.

“If you are in a leadership position, you should be able to champion other people, you should be able to move other people into leadership positions, you should be able to step aside at the right time,” Odedina said.

Reflecting on her more than 40 years in clinical academia and research, she said her focus had increasingly shifted towards ensuring continuity by preparing others to take over existing leadership roles.

“I don’t want to leave the leadership positions that I have empty. I want to transition them into other people,” she said.

Odedina said professionals should focus on developing people and systems that would continue to deliver results beyond their individual tenure.

“I’m all about building legacy. I’m all about putting people in the right places. I’m all about mentoring, championing, and putting people in the places that they need to be,” she said.

Meanwhile, the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Cancer Society, Prof Abidemi Omonisi, raised concern over Nigeria’s high hepatitis B burden, noting that chronic infection was a major cause of liver cancer in sub-Saharan Africa.

Omonisi called for the establishment of liver transplant capacity in Nigeria, citing Egypt and South Africa as examples of African countries with liver transplant centres.

“People don’t die from liver cancer in developed countries because they can do liver transplants,” he said.

He said establishing a liver transplant programme in Nigeria would help reduce the need for patients to travel abroad for advanced cancer treatment.

Other experts at the conference also identified hepatitis C as a major concern because of its largely silent progression, which can result in late diagnosis and severe complications.

The conference was organised by the African Organisation for Research and Training in Cancer, the African Society of Liver and Digestive Diseases, the Nigerian Cancer Society, the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and the Society for Gastroenterology and Hepatology in Nigeria, alongside other professional and research organisations.

The meeting focused on cancer prevention, early detection, treatment, survivorship and policy, with particular emphasis on vaccination, screening and improved care for people living with hepatitis B and C.