France partners with Aga Khan Health Services to combat women's cancers in East Africa

Cancer rates in Kenya and Tanzania are on the rise, with nearly 100,000 new cases and 60,000 deaths annually. This burden is heavier for women which represent 61% of cancer cases in East Africa. There is a pressing need to strengthen cancer care and treatment across the region.

Building on the success of the first project (the Tanzanian Comprehensive Cancer Project), this second phase – titled the East Africa Comprehensive Cancer Project - will significantly broaden its scope, expanding to six regions in Tanzania and extending to Kenya. It will incorporate a strong gender focus by addressing the two most prevalent cancers affecting women in Tanzania and Kenya—breast and cervical cancer.

In close partnership with public authorities, the project will prioritize the improvement and expansion of existing oncology infrastructures, building staff capacity through training and retention programmes, strengthening community cancer care with preventive services, and fostering collaborative research with stakeholders and partner institutions. Institut Curie, France’s top oncology research and treatment institute, will provide capacity building in Kenya and Tanzania. In addition, a French Technical Oncology Expert, provided by France, will be stationed at the Aga Khan Hospital of Dar es Salaam for a duration of two years, to support this initiative.

This project will benefit approximately 7.4 million people through cancer awareness campaigns and provide breast and cervical cancer screening for 400,000 women. The project will also target 200,000 nine-year-old girls in Tanzania with a HPV vaccination campaign and 600,000 girls aged 10–14-years in Kenya, annually. The goal is to vaccinate 800,000 girls in Tanzania and 2.4 million girls in Kenya over the programme’s duration.

The project grant of €10.2 million is mainly funded by AFD along with Gates Foundation and also the Aga Khan Foundation for a period of four (4) years

The signing event of the agreement was attended by distinguished guests, including Her Excellency Anne Sophie Avé, Ambassador of France to Tanzania, Mr. Rémy Rioux, AFD Group CEO, Dr Seif Shekalaghe, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Tanzania, Céline Robert, AFD Tanzania Country Director, Mr. Amin Kurji, Country Representative, Aga Khan Development Network, Dr. Zeenat Sulaiman Khan, Regional CEO, Aga Khan Health Service, East Africa and representatives from partner organisations.

Addressing the gathering, Her Excellency Anne Sophie Avé, the French ambassador to Tanzania, said “It is an immense honor to celebrate today the remarkable partnership between France and the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN). This collaboration is a shining example of how international cooperation can drive transformative progress in healthcare”.

Reflecting on the knowledge sharing component of the project, she added that “By combining French expertise with the local knowledge and capacity of Tanzanian institutions, we are not only building stronger health systems but also fostering a relationship of mutual respect and learning”.

Mr. Rémy Rioux, AFD Group CEO said, “For over 15 years, we have stood alongside the Government of Tanzania to support the country’s sustainable development across various sectors, including water, energy, transport, and now health. Sharing the conviction that health is a common good, we are proud to collaborate with the Aga Khan Development Network and the internationally renowned French cancer center, Institut Curie, around the launching of this East Africa Comprehensive Women Cancer Project (EA-CWCP).”

During the signing ceremony, Dr. Zeenat Sulaiman Khan, Regional Chief Executive Officer, Aga Khan Health Services, East Africa said “East Africa Comprehensive Cancer Project (EA-CCP) is a unique and unified four-year project, to be implemented in six target regions in Tanzania: Dar es Salaam, Mwanza, Dodoma, Arusha, Kilimanjaro and Zanzibar and four counties in Kenya: Mombasa, Kisumu, Kilifi and Homabay via Aga Khan Health Services both in Kenya and Tanzania together with the Aga Khan Foundation in Tanzania and the Aga Khan University”.

She added that, “we have a long-standing partnership with France and their support has been invaluable over the years. This project will significantly advance cancer care in collaboration with the implementing partners, the Ministries of Health of both countries, as well as the Ministry of Health in Zanzibar, and other hospitals including Ocean Road Cancer Institute, Bugando Medical centre, Benjamin Mkapa Hospital, Mount Meru Regional Referral Hospital, Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre, Amana Regional Referral Hospital, Nyamagana District Hospital and selected 100 health facilities from former Tanzania Comprehensive Cancer Project (TCCP). ”ner organisations.

About the partners

Aga Khan Development Network and Aga Khan Health Services

Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) is a group of private, international, non-denominational agencies established by His Highness the Aga Khan, which partners with other like-minded organisations to help improve the quality of life of those in need irrespective of their origins, faith, or gender. Through initiatives in sectors such as healthcare, education, culture, rural development, institution building and the promotion of economic development, AKDN takes a multifaceted approach to help communities and individuals become self-reliant. The Network also espouses values and norms, including pluralism and cultural tolerance, gender and social equity, civil society organisation and good governance. The AKDN, therefore, has a holistic view of progress that goes beyond poverty alleviation to encompass a more rounded view of human experience and aspirations.

Aga Khan Health Services (AKHS) is one of three agencies of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) that supports healthcare activities, together with the Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) and the Aga Khan University (AKU). Working to tackle today’s greatest health challenges in low- and middle-income countries, the three agencies of the AKDN provide quality healthcare to over 14 million people annually and work closely on planning, training, and resource development. Through our focused presence in Central Asia, East Africa, and South Asia, AKHS operates 23 multi-disciplinary hospitals and medical centres, as well as 575+ outreach health centres, offering one of the most comprehensive non-profit healthcare systems in the developing world. AKHS also works with the Aga Khan Education Service (AKES) and the Aga Khan Agency for Habitat (AKAH) on integrating health issues into other sectors.

Aga Khan Health Service, Tanzania

Celebrating a history of over nine decades in Tanzania, the Aga Khan Hospital, Dar es Salaam and Aga Khan Hospital, Mwanza, alongside our network of Primary Medical Centres and Outreach Health Centres have established Aga Khan Health Services as the longest-serving, not-for-profit private health care organisation in the country. Today, the AKHS, T offers quality healthcare through its world-class facilities, cutting edge technology, comprising of one hospital hub in Dar es Salaam, one sub-hub in Mwanza and 26 Outreach Health Centres across the country. Today, it offers quality health care through its world-class facilities, cutting-edge technology, and human resources. For example, the Aga Khan Hospital in Dar es Salaam is an ultramodern 170-bed facility with tertiary care, referrals, and teaching faculty. It is the only hospital in Tanzania – and one of only three in East Africa – to receive the prestigious gold standard quality accreditation from Joint Commission International (JCI).

About AFD Group

AFD group is France’s implementing agency in the areas of cooperation and international solidarity. AFD Group finances and drives the transition to a fairer, safer and more resilient world, working with its partners to support communities all over the world. Drawing on the complementary strengths of its entities – Agence Française de Développement for public financing, Proparco for responsible private investment, and Expertise France for technical expertise – the Group is ideally positioned to meet all sustainable development challenges. Working in over 160 countries, including France’s Overseas Territories and Departments, the Group adapts its operations to the realities on the ground, actively supporting local initiatives. With over 4,000 projects, whose objectives are aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), AFD Group works on behalf of the French people, together with all stakeholders committed to economic development and the preservation of common goods: climate, biodiversity, peace, gender equality and global health. Working by your side, toward a world in common.

Gates Foundation

The Gates Foundation (GF) is an American private foundation founded by Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates. Based in Seattle, Washington, it was launched in 2000 and is reported to be the third-largest charitable foundation in the world, holding $69 billion in assets as of 2020. The primary stated goals of the foundation are to enhance healthcare and reduce extreme poverty across the world, and to expand educational opportunities and access to information technology in the U.S. Key individuals of the foundation include Warren Buffett, chief executive officer Mark Suzman,[8] and Michael Larson.

The BMGF had an endowment of approximately $75.2 billion as of December 31, 2023. The scale of the foundation and the way it seeks to apply business techniques to giving makes it one of the leaders in venture philanthropy, though the foundation itself notes that the philanthropic role has limitations. In 2007, its founders were ranked as the second most generous philanthropists in the U.S., behind Warren Buffett. As of 2018, Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates had donated around $36 billion to the foundation. Since its founding, the foundation has endowed and supported a broad range of social, health, and education developments, including the establishment of the Gates Cambridge Scholarships at Cambridge University.

Institut Curie

Institut Curie is an international leader in oncology research and treatment based in Paris, France. The world-class institute will be a full partner in the EA-CCP, primarily responsible for providing technical expertise and guidance concerning EA-CCP project implementation. Specifically, Institut Curie will play a major role in building the capacity of oncology staff through international staff exchanges and mentorship programs. Connecting Institut Curie with Kenya & Tanzania, will provide expert knowledge and experience sharing during telepathology and virtual tumour board consultations. Institut Curie will be represented in the steering and project oversight committees to ensure the EA-CCP is on track to meet its objectives. Moreover, Institut Curie will collaborate with project partners together with the MoH, AKU, MUHAS, and NIMR to conduct research that will influence policy change in cancer care in the country. This collaboration will extend to strengthening existing cancer registry.

Media Contacts:

AKHS:

Geofrey Anael Graphic Designer and PR Coordinator

Aga Khan Health Service, Tanzania

geofrey.anael@akhst.org/cc: Olayce.lotha@akhst.org

+255 717 516 650

https://www.agakhanhospitals.org/daressalaam

AFD:

Linnete Amimo

Regional Communications Manager

Agence Française de Developpement in Eastern Africa

+254 110 953 409

https://www.afd.fr/fr / https://www.afd.fr/en

EMBASSY OF FRANCE:

Raya Bihondwa Communication Officer

+255 782 235 035

raya.bihondwa@diplomatie.gouv.fr