The City Cancer Challenge (C/Can), in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health, has launched an initiative called the Leadership Programme for Women in Oncology (LPWO) in Abuja.
The leadership programme which is done in collaboration with the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) is designed for mid career women oncologists in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs).
Speaking during the launch yesterday in Abuja, Sophie Bussman-Kemdjo, C/Can’s Regional Director, Africa and Europe, said the initiative is geared towards equipping participants with leadership skills and strategies to transform cancer care in resource-limited settings.
She said LPWO targets women oncologists from cities undergoing the City engagement process, adding that the first cohort was launched in 2022, and that the program currently operates in 15 cities of the world.
“One of the requirements is that the women have to be in a city where the operations are ongoing and at the stage where they can contribute their knowledge based on the engagement process in the city,” she said.
She said the second cohort which will run for two years has participants from Abuja, Nigeria, Arequipa, Peru, Concepcion, Chile Greater Petaling, Malaysia, Kumasi, Ghana, Leon, Mexico, Nairobi, Kenya, Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Rosario, Argentina, and Tbilisi, Georgia.
She said, “The LPWO Program is built to respond to the findings and recommendations of the Lancet Commission on Women & Cancer (LCWC) recommendation to foster women’s leadership for equitable cancer control, emphasizing the need for diverse leadership to drive effective cancer care solutions. Having more women in the workforce could contribute to better outcome for cancer treatment and care and better outcome for patients.”
Sophie added that the Nigerian participant will help mentor other women oncologist after the program.adding “We are impacting the community through the women, and creating ripple effects in terms of how many people will be impacted by the amazing work that these mid career women are doing in their respective communities, considering that different countries or cities have their patriarchal levels.”
Dr Uchechukwu Emmanuel Nwokwu, head National Cancer Control and Nuclear Medicine Program, of the Federal Ministry of Health said the government did not hesitate to join the consortium to apply for Abuja’s inclusion in the programme because of the opportunities it offers for cancer care.
He said several cancers affect women but that there are few women oncologists in leadership positions for cancer care.
“So it is a good thing to have this program. So the federal government of Nigeria is solidly behind this. Since the program started about two years ago, we’ve seen a lot of remarkable improvement through what C/Can is providing.”
Dr. Ladi Hameed, General Manager Roche Products Limited commended C/Can for launching its second cohort. He said that while it is easy to start such initiative, continuity and maintenance is extremely important.
He said Roche had been providing support for C/can over the past couple of years, adding that it was not just financial support, but also coaching, mentorship and leadership guidance.
He said, “The cancer space alone is so huge, and we need to hear the female voice from leaders , doctors and other healthcare practitioners. The views of different genders is extremely important as to why certain things are not working and why certain things can work better. It is also extremely important to elevate and bring those inputs into how we choose to manage and make a difference in policy guidelines and treatment guidelines.”
Prof. Musa Ali Gombe, director, clinical services at the National Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment (NICRAT) said the agency is working assiduously towards tackling gender inequities in the cancer space such as oncology workforce, social norms, and lack of education and awareness.