Preventable Deaths

Roche plans public-private partnership in Rwanda to tackle breast cancer

By David Whitehouse

Premium badge Reserved for subscribers

Posted on June 14, 2023 04:00

Third One Day International – South Africa v Netherlands © Cricket – Third One Day International – South Africa v Netherlands – Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg, South Africa – April 2, 2023 Spectators are pictured wearing pink on the annual South Africa teams pink day, a day to raise awareness and collect money for the Breast Cancer Clinic at the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko
Cricket – Third One Day International – South Africa v Netherlands – Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg, South Africa – April 2, 2023 Spectators are pictured wearing pink on the annual South Africa teams pink day, a day to raise awareness and collect money for the Breast Cancer Clinic at the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko

Swiss multinational healthcare company Roche plans a public-private partnership agreement in Rwanda to tackle breast cancer, head of Africa Maturin Tchoumi tells The Africa Report.

The aim is to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Rwanda’s government within the next three months, Tchoumi says on the sidelines of the Africa CEO Forum in Abidjan. Such agreements, he says, can help attract new partners in financing and diagnostics. “We play the role of catalyst.”

Scientists predict that breast cancer prevalence in sub-Saharan Africa will double by 2050. But scientists led by Claudia Anyigba at the University of Ghana argue that the true extent of cancer in the region is unknown due to the lack of cancer registries. 

As of 2021, only 20 of the 46 World Health Organization (WHO) member states in sub-Saharan Africa have active cancer registries with wide coverage. One of those countries was Rwanda. 

In sub-Saharan Africa breast cancer will most likely be a “neglected” healthcare issue as governments give a higher priority to communicable diseases, Anyigba’s

There's more to this story

Get unlimited access to our exclusive journalism and features today. Our award-winning team of correspondents and editors report from over 54 African countries, from Cape Town to Cairo, from Abidjan to Abuja to Addis Ababa. Africa. Unlocked.

Subscribe Now

cancel anytime