Nigeria has vaccinated more than 18 million adolescent girls against Human Papillomavirus (HPV), a major step to preventing cervical cancer, but health experts say the gains could fall short unless millions of women also gain access to screening, early diagnosis and treatment.
The warning came at a policy roundtable in Abuja organised by Merck Sharp & Dohme, MSD, in partnership with Africa Health Business, AHB, on accelerating cervical cancer elimination in Nigeria.
The HPV vaccination programme, launched nationally in 2023 for girls aged nine to 14, reached about 12 million girls in its first year. Stakeholders said coverage has since climbed to about 18 million, representing roughly 76 per cent of the target population.
Ms Vuyo Mjekula, Director of External Affairs, Policy and Market Access for MSD in South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa, described the scale of the vaccination campaign as evidence of what government and communities can achieve through coordinated action.
She said education, awareness and community mobilisation must now receive greater attention.
“The national HPV programme targeted at girls between the ages of nine and 14 is going really well. However, there is always room for improvement,” Mjekula said.
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The missing half of the prevention story
HPV vaccination protects girls against infection with cancer-causing strains of the virus, but it does not replace screening for women who may already carry HPV or develop cervical abnormalities later in life.
That distinction is central to Nigeria’s elimination plan.
The World Health Organisation (WHO)’s 90-70-90 framework requires 90 per cent of girls to be fully vaccinated against HPV by age 15, 70 per cent of women to receive high-performance screening by ages 35 and 45, and 90 per cent of women identified with cervical disease to receive appropriate treatment.
Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Health has adopted the same targets as part of its elimination strategy.
This means the 18 million vaccination figure is only one measure of progress.
The harder task is ensuring that women who have already passed the vaccination age can find affordable screening, receive their results promptly and enter treatment when abnormalities are detected.
Dr Mairami Waziri, Director of Cancer Prevention and Control at the National Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment, NICRAT, said the government was expanding treatment infrastructure while working to reduce delays in diagnosis.
He disclosed plans for six additional multidisciplinary cancer treatment centres before the end of the current administration, with Katsina already operational.
NICRAT is also piloting the National Initiative for Cancer Early Detection, Screening and Coordinated Access to Network of Care, NISCAN, in the Federal Capital Territory.
Under the hub-and-spoke model, primary healthcare centres serve as entry points for screening, while specialised facilities handle further diagnosis and treatment.
Nigeria still carries a heavy burden
The scale of the challenge is reflected in national cancer figures.
A 2025 statement by Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Health to the World Health Assembly cited about 12,000 new cervical cancer cases and more than 8,000 deaths annually.
More recent IARC estimates recorded 13,676 new cases and 7,093 deaths in Nigeria in 2023, showing that the disease continues to impose a substantial health burden.
Dr Ahmed Rufai Garba, Director of Disease Control and Immunisation at the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, NPHCDA, said HPV vaccination became part of routine immunisation after its national introduction in October 2023.
The vaccine is provided free to eligible girls through public health facilities.
However, Garba identified a practical challenge: healthy nine-year-old girls do not necessarily visit health centres frequently.
NPHCDA has therefore used schools, outreach programmes and other community platforms to reach them.
He also warned facilities against charging parents for government-supplied HPV vaccines.
Why private partners matter
Mjekula said the private sector could help expand the national response if its activities were better coordinated with government programmes.
She called for stronger participation by private healthcare providers in the national cervical cancer task force, the Partnership for Cervical Cancer Elimination in Nigeria, PECAN, and relevant technical working groups.
Her proposal is aimed at reducing duplication and directing available resources towards areas with the greatest need.
She also identified faith-based organisations, traditional institutions, employers, community groups and the media as important partners in creating awareness and addressing misconceptions.
The NPHCDA has previously stated that the single-dose HPV vaccine is available free through routine immunisation and that school vaccination and community outreach are being used to reach girls outside regular health-facility channels.
On the part of Nigeria, therefore, the next phase of the campaign is not simply about counting vaccinated girls.
It is about connecting those gains to a functioning chain of prevention: vaccination before exposure, screening later in life, rapid diagnosis, affordable treatment and sustained follow-up.
That is the test stakeholders now want Nigeria’s public and private health systems to confront before the 2030 elimination deadline.
