With the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals deadline looming, a dire warning has been issued: Africa must urgently accelerate efforts to eliminate cervical cancer or risk failing an entire generation of women.
CDA Consult, a development advocacy firm, released a statement on Tuesday, 10th February, 2026 highlighting what it describes as a widening gap between global elimination targets and on-the-ground reality across the continent. Cervical cancer, a disease that is virtually preventable, continues to claim the lives of African women at rates far exceeding those in higher-income regions.
The World Health Organisation’s strategy for eliminating cervical cancer hinges on three ambitious milestones to be met within the next four years. These include near-universal HPV vaccination of adolescent girls, widespread screening using reliable testing methods, and access to treatment for the vast majority of women diagnosed with precancerous lesions or invasive disease. While some African nations have made notable strides in introducing HPV vaccines, coverage remains uneven and often falls short of the levels needed to interrupt transmission and save lives.
CDA Consult points to persistent structural barriers that continue to stall progress. Vaccine supply inconsistencies, public hesitancy, and the high cost of procurement have hampered immunisation campaigns in several countries. Meanwhile, screening services remain concentrated in urban centres, leaving rural women without access to early detection. Even when abnormalities are identified, treatment options are often limited or prohibitively expensive, with oncology infrastructure remaining scarce across much of the region.
Mr. Francis Ameyibor, Executive Director of CDA Consult, urged stakeholders to move with greater urgency. “We must intensify efforts with a more aggressive and progressive agenda to change the narrative on cervical cancer in Africa. Significant strides can still be made to reduce the burden of this preventable disease and save thousands of lives before the 2030 deadline.”
The organisation stresses that cervical cancer elimination is not merely a clinical challenge but a reflection of deeper inequities in health financing and gender justice. Women living with HIV, who are particularly vulnerable to HPV persistence and rapid progression to cancer, are among those most underserved by current programmes.
Without a decisive shift in political will and investment, CDA Consult warns that the coming years could see hundreds of thousands of avoidable deaths. The organisation is calling for a renewed compact between African governments, global donors, and health partners to expand vaccine access, integrate cervical cancer services into existing primary care and HIV platforms, and build local capacity for cancer diagnosis and treatment.
Source: Morden Ghana.
