Nigeria Reaffirms Resolve To Curb Severe NCDs At 2nd PEN-Plus Conference In Africa
Amid growing concern over the rising tide of severe non-communicable diseases (NCDs) across Africa, Nigeria has reiterated its commitment to tackling the health crisis head-on.
At the 2nd International Conference on PEN-Plus in Africa, which opened in Abuja on July 8, the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Iziaq Salako, described diseases like Type 1 Diabetes, Sickle Cell Disease, and Rheumatic Heart Disease as not just health challenges, but threats to economic progress and human security.
He urged African nations to embrace the PEN-Plus strategy a World Health Organization-supported initiative aimed at delivering life-saving NCD care at the first referral level aligning with President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda that places health at the heart of national development.
“NCDs are robbing us of our most productive population. We must act now — for this generation and the next,” Dr. Salako said.
Pharmacist Olubunmi Aribeana, speaking on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Health, emphasised that no child with Type 1 Diabetes should lack insulin, nor should adolescents with Sickle Cell be denied proper care. She called for greater investment in rural clinics to manage complex NCD cases.
The conference drew praise from partners including WHO, African CDC, and UNICEF. WHO’s Acting Representative in Nigeria, Dr. Alex Gasasira, commended the country’s leadership, while Regional Director Prof. Mohamed Janabi, in a video message, warned of the escalating NCD burden across Africa and lauded Nigeria’s bold policy steps since 2019.
As delegates from across the continent gathered in Abuja, the message was clear: tackling severe NCDs is no longer optional — it’s urgent.
