The Nigerian Government has reconstituted the National Task Force Committee on Cervical Cancer Elimination to strengthen nationwide efforts to prevent, detect and treat the disease and achieve Nigeria’s elimination target by 2030.
The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Iziaq Salako, made this known in Abuja while inaugurating the reconstituted committee, urging members to intensify screening, promote early diagnosis and ensure timely treatment for women affected by cervical cancer.
Salako said the reconstitution became necessary following new national and international responsibilities taken up by the former chairman, Prof. Isaac Folorunso Adewole, and the former vice-chairman, Dr Zainab Shinkafi-Bagudu.
He commended the committee for its achievements since its establishment in August 2024, particularly the development of national screening guidelines, capacity building for healthcare workers and mobilisation of partnerships and resources to support the elimination drive.
The minister also acknowledged the advocacy and support of the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, saying her efforts had helped mobilise leadership and financial resources towards achieving the national target.
He urged the reconstituted committee to expand community-based screening services, strengthen the integration of screening with Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination and ensure timely diagnosis and treatment for women affected by the disease.
Salako reaffirmed the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare’s commitment to providing the policy direction and institutional support needed to achieve the 2030 target.
He announced the Special Adviser to the President on Health, Dr Salma Ibrahim Anas, as chairman of the reconstituted task force, while the Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of the National Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment (NICRAT), Prof. Usman Malami Aliyu, will serve as secretary.
In her acceptance remarks, Anas pledged the task force’s full commitment to fulfilling its mandate.
She assured the minister that members would demonstrate dedication, strengthen collaboration and work collectively to achieve the committee’s objectives.
Anas said the task force would focus on strengthening Nigeria’s response to cancer, particularly through prevention, early detection, treatment and care.
Earlier, Aliyu disclosed that Nigeria recorded 13,676 new cases of cervical cancer and 7,093 deaths from the disease in 2022, highlighting the urgent need to strengthen preventive and treatment measures.
He explained that the task force was established by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare through NICRAT in August 2024 to coordinate national efforts towards eliminating cervical cancer as a public health problem by 2030.
Aliyu listed the development of national screening guidelines, the establishment of the Platform for the Elimination of Cervical Cancer in Nigeria (PECCIN) and the designation of Imo State as a flagship for organised HPV DNA screening among the committee’s achievements.
However, he stressed the need to strengthen implementation, institutional capacity and stakeholder coordination to translate existing commitments into measurable reductions in cervical cancer cases and deaths.
The reconstituted task force is expected to build on the progress recorded and accelerate nationwide efforts to eliminate cervical cancer as a public health problem by 2030.
