Kumasi has been selected to host the City Cancer Project, dubbed “C/CAN 2025 Project”, come 2018.

The C/CAN 2025 Project is being undertaken by the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) to reduce cancer mortality by 25 percent by 2025. Kumasi is the first city in Africa and the fourth in the world to host the C/CAN 2025 Project.

The Union for International Cancer Control, UICC, which is based in Geneva, Switzerland, aims to control cancer all the world.

According to the UICC, 15 million cases of cancers are recorded worldwide annually and 10 million cancer patients also die annually. Out of the 15 million cancer cases recorded annually, 70 percent are from low middle income countries.

With 52 percent of the world's population living in the cities, the UICC is starting the fight against cancers in the cities and Kumasi is the fourth city after Paraguay, Columbia and Myanmar to host the C/CAN 2025 Project.

Kumasi was selected because of its strategic central location, the presence of a Cancer Registry at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) the treatment of cancer and Cancer Care also at KATH and the Peace and Love Hospital (PLH) among other factors.

The announcement was made at the just ended World Cancer Leaders’ Summit held at Mexico City from the 13-14th November, 2017.

The first meeting is expected to be held in Kumasi in January 2018.

The Kumasi meeting will attract stakeholders from the public and private hospitals, health related Non Governmental Organizations, Cancer Patients, Cancer survivors, the academia and local authorities.