ACCESS Africa: Accelerating Cervical Cancer Elimination

Recorded during Cervical Cancer Awareness Month 2026, this podcast reflects on the first IGCS ACCESS Africa event—the Accelerating Cervical Cancer Elimination Strategies Symposium—held in Cape Town at the 2025 IGCS Annual Global Meeting.

Julie Torode, PhD, global cancer prevention and policy specialist and IGCS ACCESS Facilitator, is joined in conversation by Professor Isaac Adewole, gynecologic oncologist, former Nigerian Minister of Health, Chair of Nigeria’s National Task Force on Cervical Cancer Elimination, and moderator of the ACCESS Africa symposium.

Their discussion recaps key themes from the sessions, including the importance of coordinated national planning, integration across the prevention–screening–treatment continuum, and shared learning between countries as progress toward the 90:70:90 targets accelerates.

The IGCS ACCESS Series is supported in part by the IGCS World of Hope Development Fund. To support our efforts and initiatives, please donate today at igcs.org/donate.

Transcript

Julie:
January is Cervical Cancer Awareness Month across Africa, and this is Julie Torode, working with the International Gynecologic Cancer Society, speaking with Professor Isaac Adewole, Former President of AORTIC – the African Organization for Research and Training in Cancer, Former Minister of Health of Nigeria, and currently Chair of the National Task Force on Cervical Cancer Elimination in Nigeria – welcome Professor Isaac Adewole.

Isaac, tell us about the vision of the IGCS and how that has led to ACCESS Africa, the kick off of a five year project in Cape Town , South Africa.

Isaac:
Well, Julie, I agreed to moderate the ACCESS Africa meeting as the goal of ensuring that all high burden countries have a cervical cancer elimination plan that is being implemented by 2030 resonates with me as a health professional, I am a gynecologic oncologist; on a public health policy level, as a former Minister of Health and on a community level in my current role as co-chair of the national taskforce on cervical Elimination in Nigeria.

The IGCS annual meeting moves location each year, so it will be held at five different locations through 2030. Fittingly, Cape Town hosted the first meeting - African communities stand to benefit tremendously from the elimination of cervical cancer, but we need to act now.

Julie:
IGCS conducted a mapping to set our baseline for ACCESS Africa. Only 5 of 47 countries across the African continent have a current cervical cancer elimination plan. What are your thoughts on that, Isaac?

Isaac:
Yes, a few countries are leading the way. Across Africa, we need to work together to prioritize political action to deliver on plans. Our work as a national task force for cervical cancer elimination in Nigeria has shown that bringing stakeholders together can build coordinated action across the care continuum, fostering coherence in policy support and financing. The plan is galvanizing for the community, civil society and the health workforce. We are all working towards the same goal, and we now have a partnership that is driving coordinated implementation.

Julie:
Wonderful to hear about this implementation partnership approach in Nigeria and perhaps a model to emulate.
During ACCESS Africa, the challenges expressed by country representatives mostly seemed similar. Would you agree, Issac?

Isaac:
We are making progress on our continent, don’t get me wrong, but what I see is fragmented efforts nationally and very much siloed activities.

• Yes, we are working towards 90% HPV vaccination of girls by age 15, but this is not connected to the other pillars.
• Yes, we are building services for at least two lifetime cervical screens for women by age 35 and again by age 45. But our screening program must also have national coverage.
• Still, we need to do better on the critical treatment referral steps, noting the urgency for women with cervical disease – these women are at greatest risk - to get prompt treatment for precancers or cervical cancer and palliative care when needed.

Julie:
I was impressed by the depth of the activities discussed during ACCESS Africa. The importance of communication, communication and yet more communication came through loud and clear. What roles do communities play in our mission?

Isaac:
Absolutely, the community voice is pivotal in three main ways:

• Health literacy, building knowledge and uptake of prevention and early detection services, not only of this current generation but also of future generations
• Addressing stigma and taboos alongside financial protections, which we know stand in the way of uptake of services
• Adding the community voice to our expert voice, demanding that our politicians get behind the elimination of a cancer for the first time.

Julie:
There was also a clear call for communicating learnings between countries. Particularly on public messaging that is working well, and the need for bespoke messaging and services for hard-to-reach communities – very remote communities and internally displaced populations were identified as populations for special focus by speakers from countries already scaling services. Would you agree, Issac?

Isaac:
Yes, the trailblazer countries, we are calling them. So essential for facilitating learning from what works and what does not. IGCS African members and partners can be catalysts to stimulate action across all three pillars towards the 90:70:90 targets that governments have agreed to by 2030. Yes, Africans have the most to do, as our burden is so high. Sub-Saharan African countries lead the ranking in terms of cervical cancer incidence, at 2-4 times the highest rates than anywhere else in the world. Still, we also have the most benefit from elimination.

Julie:
Absolutely true. We ran a survey before the ACCESS Africa symposium and received 125 responses from IGCS members across Africa. I was inspired that 100% of respondents were committed to the mission – what’s your personal call to action during Cervical Cancer Awareness Month, Issac?

Isaac:
Well, I have two, if I may, Julie—one to IGCS members and one to the African cervical cancer community at large.

• To IGCS members, you are key to driving national and continental action. I encourage you to use our social media kit, generate your own media engagement, and promote the ACCESS Africa ambition for all African countries to have an operational cervical cancer elimination plan by 2030. Share your personal pledge with IGCS and report back in Montreal.
• Secondly, This call to action goes beyond IGCS members, and I speak to all organizations, large and small - can you contribute? Yes – join us in building an Africa-wide movement to eliminate cervical cancer; let’s work together to use the momentum from Cape Town for continental-wide action.

Julie:
That’s a great call to action, thank you, Issac. For our final question, Isaac, ACCESS Africa will report back on progress at IGCS 2026 later this year. How many more national cervical cancer elimination strategies do you expect? Think we can add to that map by the conference in Montreal?

Isaac:
I would love to see at least 10 plans in the public domain by the end of this year, and for us to be able to report that at least another 10 now have teams in place to finalise plans and action plans by 2027.

Julie:
That would be great. We look forward to seeing your predictions realised when we meet in Canada. This is Julie Torode, reporting for IGCS – thank you, Professor Isaac Adewole, for this interview and wishing you and your partners an impactful cervical cancer awareness month in Nigeria.