The American Cancer Society today opened a 4-day workshop in Accra on Cancer Control Program Planning and Collaboration for civil society groups and stakeholders in Africa.
This meeting, designed by ACS’s Africa Cancer Information and Advocacy Initiative is focused on providing capacity training for professionals working on cancer control in Africa, with a view to building synergy for combating the deadly trend of cancer in the continent.
This meeting, designed by ACS’s Africa Cancer Information and Advocacy Initiative is focused on providing capacity training for professionals working on cancer control in Africa, with a view to building synergy for combating the deadly trend of cancer in the continent.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Tosin Orogun, ATCRI project officer, expressed concerns about the current trend in tobacco use in Africa. He said, “today, smoking rates may be said to be relatively low in majority of African countries but the sad truth is that those rates are rising. If current tobacco companies’ activities on the continent continue, Africa will face a tobacco pandemic never witnessed in human history”.
He also noted that given that smoking is linked to at least 15 different cancers, and accounts for some 30% of all cancer deaths, it is imperative to recognize very clearly that the use of tobacco, which is the major cause of cancer, in any form is a major health risk to the human body. “This workshop by the American Cancer Society is a timely, strategic move to ensure that we all as stakeholders in the protection of lives on this continent come to a full understanding of the implication of the much needed synergy that will help us in building a stronger frontier for cancer control in Africa” he said.
According to the WHO, “African countries are experiencing the highest increase in the rate of tobacco use amongst developing countries. In the African region tobacco consumption is increasing by 4.3 percent per year.” This development is driven in part by the tobacco industry, which increasingly targets the developing world as barriers rise and smoking rates fall in more “mature” markets around the world.
Present at the opening ceremony are Dr. George Amofa, Deputy Director General, Ghana Health Service, Dr. Kofi Nyarko, National Cancer Control Program Focal Person, Johanna Ralston, Vice President of Global Strategies, Dr. Samuel Sackey, University of Ghana School of Public Health, and Issah Ali, Executive Diretor of Vision for Alternative Development who represented the Regional Director of Framework Convention Alliance, Adeola Akinremi.
This workshop is the first in a series of regional workshops being offered to cover 20 leading Non-governmental organisations, and is intended to complement ACS-supported follow-on projects associated with the initiative. Countries included in the 2-year regional program are Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa and Tanzania.
American Cancer Society has been established as a critical element in the global fight against cancer by building the capacity of voluntary health and cancer organisation to promote cancer prevention, detection, and support. This move, in terms of training has benefited nearly 700 scholars from almost 90 countries.
