Cancer cases are rising globally, and East Africa is no exception. The region faces significant challenges in controlling the disease, but efforts are underway to address the crisis. France is committed and takes tangible action to strengthen regional capacities and resources.
BY ARNAUD SUQUET
In 2022, Africa recorded 1.19 million new cancer cases, resulting in nearly 800,000 deaths.
In Kenya, 29,317 deaths were reported, with breast cancer being the most common, representing 16% of cases. Across the region, almost 40% of cancer patients die, with underserved populations suffering disproportionately due to inequities in early detection and access to care.
Despite these alarming statistics, efforts to fight cancer are gaining momentum. East African countries have diverse cancer control programs, each shaped by different levels of political will, health system capacity, and resources. Many small-scale, innovative programs are emerging, though their impact is not always widely recognized.
France has played a key role in supporting cancer control in East Africa. It is tangible in Kenya, where the French Development Agency has invested $35 million in establishing the Heart and Cancer Centre at Aga Khan University Hospital in Nairobi.
Since its opening, the hospital has also launched a Clinical Research Unit (CRU), which has conducted over 16 cancer trials and enrolled more than 500 patients. This centre is now a crucial resource for developing treatments tailored to the region’s most common cancers.
FRENCH ASSISTANCE
It is also true in whole East Africa.
France has supported efforts to fight cervical cancer, especially among people living with HIV.
Our action in collaboration with UNITAID is being implemented through partnerships with organizations like Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) in Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda, and the SUCCESS project in Burundi, managed by the French agency Expertise France. Both initiatives aim to reduce the burden of Human Papillomavirus (HPV) and improve prevention across the region.
We want to do more. To address the major challenges of cancer burden, the French Embassy to Kenya and Somalia is convening a regional policy dialogue on October 16 and 17 in Nairobi in collaboration with WHO, Unitaid and The East, Central and Southern Africa Health Community.
The exchange of knowledge and best practices will be critical to overcoming challenges, reinforcing collaborations, and leveraging regional resources for effective cancer control.
Indeed, collaboration is key. Researchers, governments, civil society, and the private sector must work together to ensure equitable access to healthcare services. By building on existing successes and working together, Kenya and East African countries can make substantial progress in reducing the cancer burden across the region.
The road ahead will require sustained political will, resource mobilization, and continued partnerships with global actors. But with these elements in place, East Africa can make meaningful strides in the fight against cancer, improving the lives of millions of patients in the process.
Under the principles and values of solidarity and promotion of human rights and the ambition of reducing health inequalities, France will remain committed. The enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health is one of the fundamental rights of every human being.
Arnaud Suquet is the Ambassador of France to Kenya and Somalia
