About AAI
The African Access Initiative (AAI) is a public-private partnership that targets the growing cancer crisis in Africa.
Driven by Africa - for Africa - AAI’s innovative approach engages stakeholders across sectors to accelerate access to cancer treatment. Using data generated at the country-level by African hospitals and governments, AAI is:
- Expanding access to cancer medicines and technologies
- Strengthening healthcare infrastructure
- Building clinical oncology capacity
- Addressing the cancer data gap in Africa through clinical trials
AAI Countries
BVGH partners with African Ministries of Health to design and implement programs by Africa, for Africa
Cancer is real in Africa. There are certain cancers whose incidence has been increasing on the continent, such as cervical cancer. Cervical cancer is preventable, but it affects those of low socioeconomic status. Why? The majority of African patients cannot afford the cost of cancer drugs. BVGH is responding to this challenge by bringing African governments, like Nigeria, and hospitals together with pharmaceutical companies to provide affordable access to life-saving medicines.
Professor Tajudeen Olasinde, Professor of Radiation and Clinical Oncology at ABUTH
Nigeria
Featured Activities
Expanding Access to Cancer Medicines and Technologies
Sustainable access to quality, affordable cancer drugs is a universal priority of our partner countries. As part of AAI, international pharmaceutical companies have offered their life-saving cancer drugs at affordable prices.
Watch Jennifer Dent and Faruk Mohammed present the Northern Nigeria Drug Access Pilot
Jennifer Dent and Faruk Mohammed of Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital (ABUTH) presenting the Northern Nigeria drug access pilot program.
ASCP Fellow, Dr. Kelsey McHugh, with Rwandan pathology residents from the University Teaching Hospital of Kigali
Strengthening Healthcare Infrastructure
Our programs are designed to address every step of the cancer patient pathway - from diagnosis to treatment. In Rwanda, BVGH focused on strengthening diagnostic infrastructure with the pathology laboratories at the University Teaching Hospital of Kigali. Through the program, laboratories received a perfect score on a pre-accreditation exam and decreased patient specimen turnaround time from 4 weeks to 10 days.
“For us, accreditation means the recognition of CHUK as a pathology center of excellence. A five-star score will facilitate future international partnerships, research, and resources to diagnose cancer patients in Rwanda.”
— Dr. Gervais Ntakirutimana, Head of CHUK Department of Pathology
Building Clinical Oncology Capacity
BVGH and the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) led a virtual training program with Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital (ABUTH) to develop cancer diagnostic capacity. More than 60 pathologists from 38 hospitals across Nigeria participated in the course.
"The virtual training program has been a boon for my institution [ABUTH], where we diagnose more than 1,800 cancer patients each year. The training course will enable my colleagues and I to correctly diagnose difficult cancer cases, thereby ensuring those patients are offered the most appropriate treatment option."
- Dr. Yawale Iliyasu
Participants in the BVGH-American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) virtual training program with Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital (ABUTH).
Addressing the Cancer Data Gap in Africa through Clinical Trials: AC³T
BVGH launched the African Consortium for Cancer Clinical Trials (AC³T) to foster and implement cancer clinical trials led by investigators in Africa.
Visit the AC³T online interactive tool.
Sign-up for the AC³T newsletter.
Our Partners
Driven by Africa - for Africa
To learn more about the African Access Initiative, contact Katy Graef
Read our white paper,"Africa's Emerging Cancer Crisis: A Call to Action"
Check out global oncology resources