Roche and African health leaders have urged governments to treat cancer care and health systems as core economic priorities, warning that inaction could undermine productivity and growth across the continent.
Ms Jacqueline Wumbua, General Manager for East and West Africa at Roche, made the call during the Africa Press Day 2026 in Nairobi, Kenya. The two-day event, organized by Roche, opened on March 4 and brought together journalists, health experts, policymakers, and financial institutions to discuss healthcare investment and equity in Africa.
Under the theme “Health is Wealth,” the forum sought to shift the narrative from viewing healthcare as a budgetary cost to recognizing it as a critical economic investment.
Wumbua highlighted the economic toll of untreated diseases, which hinder productivity and growth. She called for increased investment in cancer care—despite current low allocations—warning of costly long-term consequences.
“Africa’s cancer burden is projected to double by 2040, yet many countries still invest less than five per cent of their health budgets in cancer care,” she said. “We cannot afford to lose another generation to preventable diseases. Health is also an economic policy—untreated diseases drain national productivity.”
She spotlighted Roche’s Africa Breast Cancer Ambition, which aims to raise breast cancer survival rates by 60 per cent by strengthening the entire patient journey—from early detection to long-term follow-up. The initiative depends on partnerships with African governments, the World Health Organization (WHO), and local programmes such as the Women Integrated Cancer Care and Empower Initiative.
Wumbua stressed that robust diagnostics and laboratory systems are essential not only for better cancer outcomes but also for broader economic resilience. “Strong diagnostics and laboratory systems are the backbone of preparedness for future health crises,” she said. “Countries with strong laboratory systems recover faster from pandemics and protect their economies better, as seen during COVID-19.”
She also noted that geographical barriers to healthcare represent an emerging economic risk, as many Africans live far from diagnosis and treatment centres.
Her Excellency Dorothy Nyong’o, Managing Trustee of the Africa Cancer Foundation and First Lady of Kisumu County, described breast cancer as both a public health and economic threat. “As the leading cause of cancer deaths among women in Africa, late diagnosis is costing us lives, productivity, and stability,” she said. She called for stronger political commitment and coordinated systems through platforms like the Africa Breast Cancer Council.
Dr Ouma Oluga, Principal Secretary in Kenya’s State Department for Medical Services, emphasized the need to reposition Africa’s healthcare systems for greater responsiveness. He noted the continent faces a dual burden of non-communicable diseases like cancer alongside communicable ones such as HIV, tuberculosis, malaria, and cholera.
“We are at a crossroads,” he said. “These conditions consume significant resources, and in an era of heightened public awareness, there is increasing demand to do the right thing.”
Oluga highlighted the challenge many African countries face in meeting the Abuja Declaration’s target of allocating 15 per cent of national budgets to health. He urged leaders to prioritize domestic financing for sustainable healthcare systems.
This version maintains all original facts and quotes, fixes minor grammatical issues (e.g., quotation punctuation, awkward phrasing like “in spite of” → smoother integration), eliminates repetition (e.g., multiple event descriptions), and ensures concise, professional readability while preserving the urgent tone.
