Nigeria is targeting the collection and cataloguing of 100,000 cancer biospecimens by 2028 as part of efforts to strengthen cancer research, advance precision oncology and increase the country’s contribution to global medical discoveries.
The initiative, known as the National Cancer Biobank Network (NCBN), is being implemented through a partnership between health data infrastructure company BioVana and the National Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment (NICRAT).
The network currently involves eight federal hospitals across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones, with the first phase targeting the collection and cataloguing of 10,000 cancer samples before expanding to the overall target of 100,000.
The project follows a Memorandum of Understanding signed between BioVana and NICRAT in 2025 and is expected to establish a coordinated national system for collecting, preserving and managing cancer-related biological samples for research purposes.
Under the arrangement, NICRAT will provide national leadership, institutional coordination and overall supervision, while BioVana will oversee technical implementation, including digital infrastructure, standardised sample collection procedures, data management, capacity building and the development of research systems across participating hospitals.
Speaking on the initiative, BioVana’s Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Estelle Dogbo, said Nigeria already had considerable cancer research resources across different institutions, but bringing them together would increase their scientific value and impact.
She explained that the National Cancer Biobank Network would connect existing resources through standardised procedures, digital infrastructure and effective governance to make them more accessible and useful for scientific research.
Dogbo added that the initiative could serve as a model for developing coordinated biomedical research infrastructure across Africa, while creating opportunities for greater collaboration and innovation in cancer research.
