Nigeria, China sign deal to build local radiotherapy industry by 2030
By Aboki Forex —
Nigeria has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Chinese partners to transfer technology and set up local assembly of radiotherapy and imaging equipment by 2030. Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Iziaq Salako, announced this after the Link Global Summit on Innovation and Practice in Oncology in Beijing.
The agreement covers radiotherapy technical support, joint research and development, and structured academic exchanges between Nigeria and China. Salako said Nigeria’s cancer mortality-to-incidence ratio improved from 62.3% in 2022 to 59.6% in 2024, but warned that progress must move faster.
What the minister said
Salako said Nigeria’s 2030 goal is not just importing machines, but building a domestic cancer technology industry with trained personnel, in-country servicing and spare-parts arrangements.
“Looking to 2030, our ambitions are larger. We want technology transfer, and the local assembly and servicing of radiotherapy and imaging equipment in Nigeria,” he said.
“Machines without people are monuments,” he added, stressing that any technology introduced must come with training and maintenance systems.
“The Memorandum of Understanding we sign today commits to radiotherapy technical support, joint research and development, to structured China-Nigeria academic exchange, and to helping Nigeria establish the professional bodies that will govern radiotherapy practice for a generation,” he said.
The minister said Nigeria wants the partnership to deliver AI-assisted treatment planning, adaptive radiotherapy, and tele-oncology links between Chinese and Nigerian cancer centres. It also wants joint clinical trials and registry-linked research focused on cancer types specific to African populations.
Salako said Nigeria is seeking a joint work plan with named focal persons and quarterly milestones so the agreement goes beyond signatures. Nigeria also plans to twin its cancer centres of excellence, including the National Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment (NICRAT) and tertiary hospitals, with Chinese cancer hospitals.
He called on the Radiotherapy Working Group of the China-Africa Hospital Alliance to establish a clinical training base in Nigeria as a West African hub. The base would create a fellowship pipeline with Chinese institutions for radiation oncologists, medical physicists, radiotherapy technologists and biomedical engineers.
Existing cancer care investments
The China deal builds on earlier federal government moves to expand Nigeria’s cancer-care infrastructure. In May 2025, the government announced plans to open three new cancer centres, projected to treat about 2,000 cancer patients and provide diagnostic services to 350,000 people annually.
In July, the government introduced a cost-sharing arrangement with the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), offering subsidies of up to N400,000 for radiotherapy treatment for low-income patients. More recently, in July 2026, the Federal Government approved the procurement of 35 additional linear accelerators between 2027 and 2029.
Salako also revealed that six cancer centres are being developed across the country, with three completed and three under construction.
Health funding context
Separately, the Federal Government has approved the disbursement of N32 billion to primary healthcare facilities under the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF). Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate disclosed this while briefing journalists on the sidelines of the 14th Ministerial Oversight Committee meeting in Abuja. The funding is meant to strengthen service delivery and improve access to essential healthcare, complementing investments in cancer diagnosis and treatment.
For Nigerians, the push toward local radiotherapy production could eventually lower treatment costs and expand access to cancer care, but the government must deliver on the 2030 timeline and training commitments first.