Overview

Concept Note

Cancer deaths are expected to double in Africa in the next twenty-five years. This growing crisis must be addressed as a critical public health priority. Science provides the foundation for confronting this challenge by driving innovation, strengthening research capacity, and informing effective policy and clinical responses. At the same time, the landscape of global support for cancer research and training in Africa is changing rapidly. Multi-sector engagement is needed to address the changing face of cancer and the programs needed to address cancer burdens on the continent.

To this end, the African Academy of Science (AAS) and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI), in partnership with the US National Cancer Institute (NCI) and Indiana University/AMPATH, are convening an international summit to accelerate the sustainable development of cancer research  and  training  in  Africa.  This  gathering  will  unite  leading  voices  from government,

academia, industry, and non-profit organizations to chart a continent-led, globally supported course for the future of cancer research and education in Africa. The summit is explicitly designed as a working meeting to move from ideas to action, bringing together scientific leaders, regional bodies, global agencies, and industry to agree on a shared mission and a concrete roadmap with clear priorities, timelines, and  accountability.

The Summit is a catalytic platform to co-create a continent-led, globally supported plan for cancer control in Africa through research and training. Its mission is to align stakeholders across research, policy, and practice to develop and implement scalable, sustainable, and Africa- owned solutions that address the continent’s accelerating cancer burden. This is not just another conference—it is a collective call to action to shape an actionable roadmap for change, with every participant serving as a partner in delivery.

The Summit aims to move from dialogue to delivery, generating a focused set of operational outputs that translate vision into implementation around three interrelated questions:

The Summit is organized around three interlocking questions:

• Question 1: How can Africa-owned, sustainable cancer research be enabled through stronger governance, operations, and compliance?
• Question 2: What policy and financing reforms are needed to maximize the impact and sustainability of cancer science in Africa?
• Question 3: What training and workforce strategies are needed to build and sustain the next generation of African cancer researchers?

Each question frames a half-day block with a keynote, breakout working groups, and a plenary report-back. By the close of the summit, participants will have identified near-term initiatives, established working groups, and formalized committed  partnerships.

Key Deliverables    

By the conclusion of the Summit, participants will have agreed on a focused agenda of near- term, achievable initiatives, established working groups and governance structures, and formalized committed partnerships with clear next steps for implementation and resourcing. The outcome will serve as a blueprint for collective action—driven by African leadership, backed by global partnership, and designed for measurable progress in cancer  control.

The summit will generate the following concrete  outputs:

• Meeting Goals: Key priorities for sustainable, impactful cancer research in Africa
• White Paper: synthesizing findings, recommendations, and commitments from all three key questions intended for submission to a high-impact journal or policy   outlet.
• Policy Brief: a 4–6 page distillation of the most actionable policy and financing recommendations, targeted at African health ministries, the African Union, and international funders. 
• Research Agenda: a structured, prioritized list of three to five critical areas of need in each domain (governance/operations, policy/financing, workforce) suitable for launching as pilot or feasibility programs.
• Working Group Charter: formal mandates, membership, and timelines for the post- summit working groups that will carry forward implementation across the three key questions.
• Partnership Commitment Register: a living document capturing formal commitments made by institutions and funders during the summit, with accountability timelines and named leads.