Abstract 74: Supporting African Countries in Developing Cancer Control Programmes: The Added Value of South-South Cooperation

Abstract

Abstract Purpose: Advisory support to develop National Cancer Control Programmes (NCCP) is one of the services offered to Ministries of Health by the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) Programme of Action for Cancer Therapy (PACT), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) within the framework of the WHO-IAEA Joint Programme on Cancer Control. The aim is to assist Member States in developing evidence-based, prioritized, country-specific strategic documents and to strengthen regional coordination to tackle the raising burden of cancer. Methods: IAEA-WHO-IARC support to develop NCCPs is provided through international experts covering the entire continuum of cancer control. The work encompasses the identification of the country’s needs and capacities through a detailed situational analysis, regular meetings with the team appointed by the Ministry of Health, and in-country workshops with national stakeholders, including civil society organizations, academia, and cancer survivors. Regional experts are involved to give a strategic direction to improve cancer prevention and control services taking into consideration common best practices and challenges. Results: In the African region the involvement of regional experts strengthened south-south cooperation through the creation of a network of cancer control professionals that can share experiences and lessons learned, paving the way for possible partnerships to implement cancer control priorities. In countries such as Botswana, Zambia and Zimbabwe this approach facilitated the establishment of a dialogue that fostered longer-lasting mutual support for capacity building and the exchange of knowledge to advance the implementation of cancer control activities in sustainable ways. Conclusion: The development of an NCCP is a critical first step to ensure that effective national responses are put in place to reduce the challenges posed by cancer. This leads to the implementation of priority activities through strategic partnerships, strong coordination mechanisms and resource mobilization to achieve the objective of reducing cancer incidence and mortality. A robust NCCP becomes also the foundation document to further support countries in establishing and expanding radiation medicine services through different initiatives, such as the recently launched Rays of Hope, directly contributing to fulfil the 2030 Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals. Citation Format: Marianna Nobile, Tlotlo Ralefala, Kennedy Lishimpi, Justice Mudavanhu. Supporting African Countries in Developing Cancer Control Programmes: The Added Value of South-South Cooperation [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 11th Annual Symposium on Global Cancer Research; Closing the Research-to-Implementation Gap; 2023 Apr 4-6. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2023;32(6_Suppl):Abstract nr 74.