The World Health Organisation (WHO) has tasked African leaders with the urgent need to prioritize the prevention of cancer care by investing hugely in it.

Describing the cancer situation in Africa as distressing, the global body warned that without prompt action, cancer-related deaths in the region could reach approximately one million per year by 2030. 

In a statement marking the 2024 World Cancer Day (WCD), Matshidiso Moeti, the WHO Regional Director for Africa, also noted that within two decades, cancer death rates in Africa are expected to surpass the global average of 30%.

Moeti lamented the alarming statistics, revealing that in 2022, the WHO African Region saw approximately 882,882 new cancer cases, leading to around 573,653 deaths.