Abstract 817: Establishing a niche to improve Africa’s contribution to cancer research

Abstract

Abstract Africa has been a key source of scientific discoveries to the global community, especially in areas of scientific experiments and implementation. However, Africans are underrepresented in their contribution to global science and within the African countries, access to adequate funding and infrastructure to do high quality science is limited. These inequities contribute to the 10/90 gap in which only an estimated 10% of global health research funding is used to address health problems in Africa. Thus, it is not surprising that today, Africa contributes just about 2 percent of world research output, 1.3 percent of research spending, and 0.1 percent of all patents. To bridge the aforementioned gaps, mitigate the effect of brain drain and structural constraints and improve support for the next generation scientists, the Nigerian Government recently established the National Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment (NICRAT). It is worthy to note that cancer incidence and mortality rates in Africa are increasing 1.1 million new cases, with 711,000 deaths reported in 2020. This indicate a mortality-to-incidence ratio (MIR) of 0.64. These cancer challenges in Africa necessitates a concerted approach towards effective cancer control and management. Here, we show in detail how the NICRAT support improving science while integrating with Nigerian national development plans and strategies. We also show how the NICRAT is establishing a mechanism for domestic funding, while fostering national and international collaborations for African scientists and encouraging women into careers in cancer research. Currently, the NICRAT’s key task also includes centralizing cancer control efforts, mobilizing funding from different sources for cancer research, and coordinating cancer treatment activities across Nigeria. In addition, the institute facilitates collaboration between researchers, healthcare providers, and patients, and provides guidance for cancer policy formulation and implementation. The establishment of NICRAT by Nigeria’s government as well as similar centers elsewhere in Africa may improve active participation of African scientists in scientific practice, discourse, and decision making and spotlight their intellectual contributions towards solving science-associated global problems. Citation Format: Usman A. Malami, Sani A. Malami, Uchechukwu E. Nwokwu, Usman W. Mohammed, Faruk Mohammed. Establishing a niche to improve Africa’s contribution to cancer research [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2024; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2024 Apr 5-10; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(6_Suppl):Abstract nr 817.