A multinational healthcare company, Roche and a provider of digital integrated healthcare services, Oncopadi Technologies have launched a Breast Cancer Access Navigation and Testing Programme targeted at supporting breast cancer patients across the country. The programme will also help to improve early detection and provide timely, accurate diagnosis of breast
cancer by providing free immunohistochemistry tests, multidisciplinary care and navigation services for 5,000 Nigerian women. Meanwhile, the Global Cancer Observatory has projected that 32,000 new breast cancer cases will be recorded in Nigeria in 2025. Speaking at the launch of the programme in Abuja on Thursday, a Consultant Clinical Oncologist and Chief Executive Officer of Oncopadi Technologies, Omolola Salako, observed that the statistics imply that approximately 2,700 cases would be detected each month and 88 cases each day. Salako said, “For five seconds, I want you to imagine what it feels like for the 88 women who will be diagnosed with breast cancer today. Now imagine, if you will, the mental, physical and financial barriers breast cancer raises, when a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer, a ton of emotions consume her, fear, anger and confusion. “In a matter of weeks, she would realise the direct cost of her treatment would cost between N2-30m or maybe more. In fact her indirect cost of care may even cost her more if her source of livelihood (her job or business) is threatened. For example, multiple hospital visits for diagnosis, treatment and management of side effects may consume her time and prevent her from her earning potential.” Salako noted that the situation can be overwhelming, frightening and distressing for any woman diagnosed with breast cancer and pointed out that in such a state of mind, many women may make uninformed decisions regarding their healthcare. She stated that Nigeria has the highest age-standardised breast cancer mortality rate in the world. The oncologist observed that delays in accessing care, missing life-saving treatments and the aggressive nature of breast cancer in Nigerian women particularly those with triple-negative and HER2-positive breast cancer, contribute to poor survival outcomes. Salako observed that in a 2014 study that compared the three-year survival rates, Nigeria ranks lowest among five African countries, with 59 per cent for Black women in South Africa, 56 per cent for Black women in Namibia, 47 per cent in Zambia, 44 per cent in Uganda, and only 36 per cent in Nigeria. She emphasised that while the statistics may seem grim, the current 50 per cent mortality rate is an improvement from the previous rate of 80 per cent a few decades ago. Salako explained that the BRANT journey began in 2022 when Oncopadi and Roche engaged in numerous co-creation sessions to develop a novel program to digitally enhance breast cancer diagnosis and care. She observed that the BRANT programme was birthed by leveraging Roche’s expertise as a global leader in oncology diagnostics and treatment whilst utilising Oncopadi’s digital oncology capabilities and community mobilisation strategies in Nigeria, adding that a strategic agreement was signed by both parties in 2024. According to her, Oncopadi has mobilised many cancer patients over the years, especially women to access care and educational resources online. “To this end, a strategic agreement was signed by Roche and Oncopadi in 2024 and we have worked tremendously hard to fulfill our shared vision, which is to support 5,000 women newly diagnosed with breast cancer.” She explained that BRANT was birthed by leveraging Roche’s expertise as a global leader in oncology diagnostics and treatment while utilising Oncopadi’s digital oncology capabilities. General Manager, Roche Nigeria, Ladi Hameed said the BRANT programme is a transformative initiative to reshape breast cancer diagnosis and treatment in Nigeria. Hameed who was represented by the Medical Director, Roche Products Limited, Dr Bola Oyedeji said 5-in-10 women diagnosed with breast cancer will not be here in five years time hence the need to reduce the time to diagnosis of breast cancer in order to improve survival. He stated that in Sub-Saharan Africa, including Nigeria, half of the women diagnosed with breast cancer do not survive beyond five years due to factors such as lack of awareness, insufficient funds, and limited access to testing and treatment adding that the average diagnostic timeline extends to six months, compared to less than 60 days elsewhere. Hameed, however, said that even though the programme would run for the next 18 months, there was a need to collectively think about sustainability. The Director- General, National Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment, Usman Aliyu highlighted that BRANT was a milestone in the nation’s continuous effort to enhance patient care, streamline support systems, and empower individuals battling the disease. Represented by the Director of Cancer Prevention and Control, Waziri Usman, he emphasised that the BRANT programme was designed to make patient navigation which is a complex landscape of breast cancer diagnosis and treatment, much easier. The Deputy Country Representative of the World Health Organisation to Nigeria, Alexander Chimbaru, commended the organisations for coming up with a homegrown solution to reducing the burden of breast cancer. “This is a very valuable and informative initiative to make breast cancer screening, navigation, and testing more accessible for women. However, what is remaining now is action.”

Use of unmanned aircraft has surged in countries across Africa, often resulting in mass civilian deaths, new report finds. The use of drones by several African countries in their fight against armed groups is causing significant harm to civilians, according to a new report. More than 943 civilians have been killed in at least 50 incidents across six African countries from November 2021 to November 2024, according to the report by Drone Wars UK. The report, titled Death on Delivery, reveals that strikes regularly fail to distinguish between civilians and combatants in their operations. Experts told Al Jazeera that the death toll is likely only the tip of the iceberg because many countries run secretive drone campaigns. As drones rapidly become the weapon of choice for governments across the continent, what are the consequences for civilians in conflict zones? Is it time for the world to regulate the sale of drones? The report highlights how the number of African nations acquiring armed drones, specifically Medium Altitude, Long Endurance (MALE) drones, has increased dramatically in recent years. Since 2022, at least 10 African countries have obtained these weapons with governments justifying their purchases as a means to combat rebellions and security threats. However, the reality on the ground has often been different with many strikes leading to mass civilian casualties, raising concerns about human rights violations. Cora Morris, the report’s author, said drones have been marketed as an “efficient” and modern way to conduct warfare with minimal risk to military personnel. But in reality, that’s not always true as civilian casualties have mounted. Morris said drones “significantly lower the threshold for the use of force, making it much easier for armies to deploy munitions without risk to their own forces”. “The result of this has been a grave civilian toll,” she told Al Jazeera. The proliferation of drones has also been fuelled by geopolitical shifts as African governments seek greater military self-reliance and turn to new suppliers willing to sell without stringent conditions. Michael Spagat, head of the department of economics at Royal Holloway University of London, sees the trend as primarily driven by economics. “Buying drones has become a cheap way for states to acquire significant firepower. Drones have the additional advantage that attackers don’t have to worry about pilots getting killed,” Spagat told Al Jazeera. “You don’t have to invest in training people you might lose.” He also said this trend is likely just at its beginning. “Some countries may still be getting up to speed on the use of their drones, and at some point, we’ll start hearing about nonstate groups using potent drones,” he warned. “These are still fairly advanced technologies, but I doubt it will stay like this forever,” he added. While the report primarily examines the consequences of the use of drones in Africa, it also touches on the key suppliers fuelling this surge. Turkiye, China and Iran have emerged as the dominant exporters, the report found, and supply a range of drone systems to African nations. Morris said the role of actors like Turkiye and China, which have been willing to supply drones “relatively cheaply with little concern for how they are to be used”, means that these weapons have proliferated rapidly in the past few years, particularly to states fighting armed groups. The report identifies six key nations where the use of drones has had a particularly deadly impact: Sudan Drones have been used extensively in Sudan’s ongoing civil war with reports of strikes hitting civilian infrastructure, including markets and residential areas. Both warring sides – Sudan’s military and its Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group – have used drones. Somalia The country has long been a battleground for drone warfare, primarily driven by operations targeting al-Qaeda affiliate al-Shabab. However, civilian deaths have been alarmingly frequent, raising concerns over the precision and intelligence behind these strikes. The United States military’s Africa Command has conducted hundreds of air strikes in Somalia that it said targeted al-Shabab fighters but also ended up killing civilians in so-called collateral damage. Nigeria The Nigerian government has employed drones in its fight against Boko Haram and other armed groups. Yet there have been multiple instances of strikes on civilians, including in December 2023 when a drone attack hit a group of people observing a Muslim celebration in Tudun Biri in Kaduna State. Burkina Faso Conflict in Burkina Faso began to intensify around 2015 as armed group activity spilled over from neighbouring Mali. It is part of a wider regional crisis in the Sahel. Mali Both Mali and Burkina Faso have ramped up their use of drones against armed groups. But these strikes have repeatedly resulted in civilian casualties. Ethiopia The Ethiopian government has increasingly relied on drones in its fight against the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF). Multiple strikes on refugee camps and marketplaces have led to widespread condemnation. Human rights organisations and the United Nations have decried the lack of accountability. The impact has been devastating with several strikes leading to significant losses of civilian lives. Among the most tragic incidents documented in the report are: Morris said there is “an obvious unwillingness to properly investigate claims of civilian casualties”, adding that “the mounting scale of civilian harm worldwide betrays a wholesale failure to take seriously the loss of civilian life. “This is altogether more brazen where the use of drones is concerned with a concerning normalisation of civilian death accompanying their proliferation,” she said. The report emphasises the urgent need for greater oversight and regulation of drone use amid a rapid expansion of drone warfare worldwide. In the past 10 years, the number of countries operating drones has gone up from four to 48, according to the report. It said three main international arms control agreements currently apply to the export of armed drones but they all have “significant weaknesses”. In its recommendations, the report’s author urged the international community to move rapidly towards establishing a new international control regime focused on the prevention of harm arising from the proliferation of armed uncrewed systems. Morris and Spagat agreed that drone warfare is only going to expand. “I do think that the use of drones is going to grow quite substantially and possibly proliferate to nonstate groups,” Spagat said. Follow Al Jazeera English:...

Alexander Isak might cost Liverpool £120m or more, Senegal forward Lamine Camara is attracting Premier League interest, Arsenal and Chelsea are linked with RB Leipzig's Benjamin Sesko. Liverpool might have to pay £120m or more to sign Sweden striker Alexander Isak, 25, from Newcastle United - and face competition from Chelsea and Arsenal. (Give Me Sport), external Tottenham, Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea have joined a list of Europe's top clubs chasing Monaco's 21-year-old Senegal forward Lamine Camara. (TBR Football), external Arsenal and Chelsea have also been linked with a possible move for RB Leipzig's Slovenia striker Benjamin Sesko, with the 21-year-old unlikely to stay at the fourth-placed Bundesliga club if they fail to qualify for next season's Champions League. (Mirror), external Chelsea and Liverpool, meanwhile, could battle it out for RB Leipzig's highly rated France centre-back Castello Lukeba, although Real Madrid are also among the 22-year-old's long list of admirers. (Mirror), external Bayern Munich chief Karl-Heinz Rummenigge says the Bundesliga leaders want to compete for the signing of Bayer Leverkusen's 21-year-old Germany forward Florian Wirtz, who has been linked with a summer move to Manchester City. (AZ via Mail), external Arsenal could be left to rue selling striker Mika Biereth, 22, to Sturm Graz for £4m in the summer - the Danish youth international went on to score 11 goals in 16 games for the Austrian Bundesliga side before netting 10 goals in seven league matches for Monaco after moving for £10.7m in January. (Mirror) , external Real Betis are exploring a longer-term deal for on-loan Brazil winger Antony but are unlikely to be able to afford the Manchester United player's wages or fee, which is expected to be £41m. (Fichajes - in Spanish), external Liverpool are keeping tabs on Brighton's Carlos Baleba before a potential summer move for the 21-year-old defensive midfielder from Cameroon. (Football Insider), external Barcelona are closely monitoring Manchester United winger Alejandro Garnacho, 20, with a view to completing a move for the Argentina international in the summer. (Fichajes - in Spanish), external Chelsea are preparing to complete a deal worth £12.4m plus add-ons for Corinthians' 17-year-old Brazilian full-back Denner Evangelista, who would join the west London club in 2026. (Fabrizio Romano), external Chelsea's potential new recruit - whose full name is Denner Alves Evangelista Pereira but is known simply as Denner - is the cousin of Arsenal's Brazil defender Gabriel Magalhaes. (Metro), external Aston Villa are hoping to complete a double swoop for "complete forward" Charalampos Kostoulas, 17, and his Greece and Olympiakos team-mate Christos Mouzakitis, 18. (TBR Football via Give Me Sport), external

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