Tanzania aims to become leading cancer treatment hub in Africa
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Deogratius Ndejembi, Vice President of Tanzania, announced the country’s plan to become a center for cancer treatment, expertise, and training for nations south of the Sahara Desert while speaking at the IAEA Scientific Forum in Vienna, Austria, on behalf of President Samia Suluhu Hassan.
Tanzania intends for the Ocean Road Cancer Institute (ORCI) to be recognized as a center of excellence for cancer care.
The Tanzanian government has invested in cancer prevention, diagnosis, and treatment at all levels of care, leading to increased HPV vaccination rates from 58% in 2018 to 98% in 2026. The number of cancer radiotherapy centers has also grown, rising from three in 2020 to six this year, expanding access to the service from 14% to 26% of the population and treating approximately 6,500 patients.
Ndejembi stated the government plans to establish nine comprehensive cancer care centers across six strategic regions of mainland Tanzania and Zanzibar by 2030, bringing specialized care closer to citizens and reducing long-distance travel for treatment. Tanzania has also begun using a PET-Scan machine connected to a cyclotron, a technology that produces radioactive isotopes used in advanced diagnostics, making it one of the first ten countries in Africa to offer this service.
Between 2021 and 2026, Tanzania significantly increased its diagnostic and treatment technology, adding 21 MRI machines, six LINAC machines, 85 CT Scanners, 16 mammography machines, and 623 digital X-ray machines. Ndejembi requested that the IAEA designate ORCI as a cancer center of excellence, enabling Tanzania to train professionals from other countries, particularly those south of the Sahara.
