Groups partner to expand cancer, sickle cell care in Nigeria

Two health-focused organisations, the Wellbeing Foundation Africa (WBFA) and U.S.-based nonprofit Caring Cross, have entered into a strategic partnership aimed at improving access to advanced therapies for cancer and sickle cell disease in Nigeria.

The agreement, formalised through a Memorandum of Understanding on April 24, 2025, seeks to deliver cell and gene therapies, including CAR-T cell treatment and gene therapy, to Nigerian patients who currently face enormous barriers to care due to high costs and limited availability.

The agreement is established for an initial term of one year, with the possibility of extension, and will be in effect from 24 April 2025 to 23 April 2026.

Globally, Nigeria bears the highest burden of sickle cell disease (SCD). According to available data, two to three per cent of the population has the disease, with about 150,000 newborns affected yearly and 50 million people carrying the sickle cell trait.

The country also faces an escalating cancer crisis, yet many affected individuals cannot access treatments.
CAR-T therapy, used to treat certain blood cancers, and gene therapy, with curative potential for sickle cell, remain prohibitively expensive and largely unavailable locally.

According to a statement released by the organisations, the collaboration, anchored in principles of scientific justice, ethical stewardship, and inclusive innovation, seeks to support the responsible localisation and sustainable integration of advanced biotherapeutics within Nigeria’s healthcare ecosystem.

Under the terms of the agreement, WBFA will lead high-level policy engagement, advocacy initiatives, and stakeholder mobilisation to facilitate regulatory alignment, legislative support, and public trust.

On its part, Caring Cross will provide technical expertise in the ethical development, manufacture, and delivery of CAR-T and gene therapies, employing open-access models that prioritise affordability and health system integration.
Founder-President of WBFA, Toyin Ojora Saraki, said the collaboration is part of a wider puSicle Cellsh for equitable healthcare access.

“We are committed to ensuring that pioneering therapies reach all populations equitably, advancing both scientific progress and social justice”, she stated.

Director of Caring Cross, Dr. Boro Dropulić, said the collaboration is driven by community needs, scientific rigour, and systemic equity.

Dropulic added that the intervention would position Nigeria as a demonstrative leader in expanding access to 21st-century medical innovations within emerging health systems.

By Sodiq Omolaoye

https://guardian.ng/news/groups-partner-to-expand-cancer-sickle-cell-care-in-nigeria/