In Tanzania, France and the Aga Khan Foundation join forces against cancer

Although infectious diseases remain dominant in developing countries like Tanzania, rates of cancer are also on the rise due to longer life expectancies and changing lifestyles. The number of new cases recorded every year – around 40,000 – is probably much lower than the actual figure. “It’s becoming a bigger public health issue,” assures Dr Zeenat Sulaiman, (then) Director-General of the Aga Khan Health Services (AKHS) in East Africa. Subsidiary of the development empire of His Highness the Aga Khan, the AKHS has partnered with the French Development Agency (AFD) in the ambitious “Projet global de lutte contre le cancer en Tanzanie (TCCP)” (Global Project to Fight Against Cancer in Tanzania). The four-year project was launched in 2020 with a grant of 10 million EUR from AFD and 3.3 million EUR from the Aga Khan Foundation. “It’s a great opportunity,” notes Stéphanie Mouen, AFD Tanzania Country Director. “They ensured that the programme was not limited to the Aga Khan Hospital, but also included public hospitals, and public awareness and improved diagnostics.” Heartened by preliminary results, the Aga Khan Foundation is considering expanding the TCCP to other countries in East Africa.