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World Lung Cancer Day: AstraZeneca Highlights Critical Role of Early Detection

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In observance of World Lung Cancer Day, AstraZeneca has today highlighted its contributions to improving lung cancer outcomes in Africa and emphasised the critical importance of early detection for improved health outcomes.

Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer mortality worldwide, with an estimated 2 million diagnoses and 1.8 million deaths annually. According to the Global Cancer Observatory 2020, the incidence of lung cancer in various regions of Africa is as follows:  South Africa is 27.5 and 9.3, North Africa is 19.3 and 3.5, East Africa 4.2 and 3.0, Middle Africa 3.4 and 1.8, and West Africa is 2.8 and 1.8 all per 100,000 for males and females, respectively.

The situation is worsened by late diagnoses and limited access to advanced medical care. In Africa, over 90% of lung cancer cases are diagnosed at a late stage, leading to a five-year survival rate of less than 1%. Early detection through regular screening can significantly improve these grim statistics.

AstraZeneca is committed to enhancing health outcomes for lung cancer patients through initiatives that support prevention, early detection, and patient advocacy, and aims to ensure that advanced treatments are accessible to all who need them. One such intervention is the Connect to Care initiative, developed in collaboration with Axios International.

This program is designed to improve the diagnostic journey for lung cancer patients by ensuring timely and accurate diagnoses. Introduced in partnership with local medical associations, including the Kenya Association of Clinical Pathologists, Kenya Society of Hematology and Oncology, and Kenya Association of Radiologists, the program focuses on multidisciplinary collaboration, which is critical in the diagnostic and treatment journey of lung cancer patients.

African Cluster Country President at AstraZeneca, Deepak Arora, said, “Our mission at AstraZeneca is to bridge the gap in lung cancer care across Africa. By improving access to diagnostics and treatments, we aim to transform the landscape of lung cancer outcomes on the continent. We are dedicated to supporting initiatives that promote early detection and patient advocacy, ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to receive timely and effective care.”

The Diagnostic Patient Navigation programme is another significant initiative, which supports patients from the initial suspicion of lung cancer through to a confirmed diagnosis. This programme aims to facilitate timely access to diagnostic facilities, provide essential information to empower patients, and ensure the proper handling and delivery of tissue specimens for EGFR testing in Kenya. EGFR gene mutation is a crucial biomarker in non-small cell lung cancer diagnosis, guiding targeted therapy treatment options.

AstraZeneca has also supported the installation of EGFR testing capabilities in partnership with Aga Khan University Hospital, addressing the fragmented cancer diagnostic landscape in Kenya by building a referral network to streamline diagnosis and treatment pathways.

Additionally, AstraZeneca has commenced molecular testing in Nigeria, marking a significant advancement in oncology care in the region. This initiative, undertaken in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health Nigeria, aims to provide precise lung cancer diagnoses to numerous patients.

The programme includes training key pathologists and healthcare professionals and officially commissioning EGFR testing in Abuja. By improving access to advanced diagnostics and fostering timely treatment initiation, AstraZeneca’s initiatives are poised to transform lung cancer care and outcomes in Africa, demonstrating their commitment to equitable healthcare access and patient advocacy.

Dr Khomotso Mashilane, Medical Director at AstraZeneca, said, “Early detection and precise diagnosis are pivotal in improving lung cancer outcomes. Our initiatives are designed to streamline the diagnostic pathway and enhance patient care. We are committed to leveraging our expertise and resources to bring advanced diagnostic capabilities to more regions, ensuring that patients receive timely and effective treatment.”

World Lung Cancer Day serves as a reminder of the ongoing battle against a formidable disease. Through awareness, early detection, and equitable access to advanced treatments, AstraZeneca is committed to changing the landscape of lung cancer care in Africa. By working together and taking action, we can improve outcomes and save lives.


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Ugo Onwuaso is an ICT enthusiast. He believes technology should be used for general good. He holds a Master of Public Administration (MPA) degree from the Lagos state University. Dear Reader, Your support matters. But we believe that technology makes life more exciting and helps improve the lives of people around Nigeria and indeed the world. That is why, we have devoted our energy to independent reportage of technology and finance and how they affect lives. Our incisive and analytical view of how technology news affects the daily life help individuals and organizations make up their minds. Quality journalism costs money. Today, we're asking that you support us to do more. Kindly support our effort to deliver technology and finance journalism to everyone in the world. Donate as little as N1,000. Bank transfers can be made to: UBA Plc 1017156876 Communication Week Media Ltd

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FG Unveils AI Public Services Platform

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Federal government has launched GovGuideNigeria, an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered digital platform designed to streamline access to public service information through WhatsApp and the web.

The platform consolidates information from more than 35 federal ministries and over 60 government agencies, marking a significant step in Nigeria’s drive to expand AI-enabled public infrastructure and digital government services.

According to Bosun Tijani, Nigeria’s minister of communications, innovation and digital economy, the initiative aims to simplify interactions with government services, particularly for underserved communities that often face challenges navigating complex public-sector systems.

Developed in collaboration with the National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, Meta, and Publica AI, GovGuideNigeria uses conversational AI to provide real-time responses via WhatsApp and a web interface in English, Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba.

Sade Dada, head of public policy at Meta, said the multilingual rollout highlights the growing use of natural language processing within African public institutions to improve digital inclusion and broaden access to services.

Ignatius Willie, chief executive of Publica AI, said the platform demonstrates how Africa’s next generation of digital public infrastructure can be developed locally using African languages.

GovGuideNigeria is intended to address longstanding challenges in Nigeria’s public information system, where citizens often struggle to access reliable guidance because of fragmented government websites, poor communication channels and the expense of travelling to physical offices.

Through AI-driven automation, users can obtain information on immigration procedures, documentation requirements, public programmes and agency-specific services through chat-based interactions.

The launch also reflects Nigeria’s broader ambition to integrate AI into digital governance, while strengthening partnerships between government agencies, global technology companies and local AI startups to modernise public service delivery.


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Elon Musk to Become First World’s Trillionaire with SpaceX Historic IPO

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Elon Musk is poised to become the world’s first trillionaire after  SpaceX, his company, confirmed plans to go public.

Elon Musk to Become First World’s Trillionaire with SpaceX Historic IPO

Elon Musk

Because Musk owns the majority of the shares, it could push his net worth over the trillion dollar mark.

The entrepreneur is known for his leadership of Tesla, SpaceX, X, and xAI.

Musk has been the wealthiest person in the world since 2025; as of May 2026, Forbes estimates his net worth to be $788 billion.

SpaceX has filed for a blockbuster public listing in the United States, paving the way for what could become the largest stock market debut in Wall Street history.

The company, formally known as Space Exploration Technologies, announced plans to begin trading under the ticker symbol “SPCX” as early as next month.

The listing values SpaceX at about $1.25 trillion, with Musk’s majority ownership potentially worth more than $600 billion alone.

Combined with his existing holdings in companies including Tesla, the IPO could push Musk’s personal wealth above the $1 trillion mark.

The long-awaited filing also offered investors a rare look into SpaceX’s finances.

The company reported $18.6 billion in revenue last year but recorded a net loss of $4.9 billion. In the first quarter of this year, SpaceX generated $4.7 billion in sales while posting a $4.3 billion net loss.

Financial disclosures showed the company holds $102 billion in assets, including rockets, launch infrastructure and satellite systems, while carrying debts totalling $60.5 billion.

Despite the losses, analysts suggested investors were unlikely to be deterred given SpaceX’s dominance in commercial space launches and satellite internet services.

Ruth Foxe-Blader, managing partner at Citrine Venture Partners, described the planned flotation as “extremely exciting.”

“SpaceX is just an absolutely sprawling, enormous project with so many different selling points, and so many points that really point to the future,” she said.

SpaceX operates the Starlink satellite internet network and also owns Musk’s artificial intelligence company, xAI.

The IPO filing revealed that xAI recently reached a major commercial agreement with rival AI company Anthropic, maker of the Claude chatbot.

Under the arrangement, Anthropic will reportedly pay $15 billion annually to access data centre infrastructure linked to xAI operations in the American South.

The filing also disclosed that SpaceX expects to incur more than half a billion dollars in legal costs from multiple ongoing lawsuits and regulatory disputes.

Among the cases listed were claims alleging that xAI’s chatbot Grok had been used to create sexualised deepfakes of women and girls, alongside patent infringement disputes, music copyright claims, data breach allegations and investigations into compliance with European Union content moderation rules.

Musk has previously said he plans to dissolve xAI as a standalone company and pursue his AI ambitions directly under SpaceX.

The filing came shortly after Musk lost a high-profile legal battle against OpenAI and its chief executive Sam Altman.

Musk had accused OpenAI of abandoning its non-profit mission after shifting towards a commercial model, but a jury dismissed the lawsuit, ruling that he had waited too long to bring the claims.


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Moniepoint Boosts UK Payments Security

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African financial services platform Moniepoint has partnered with open banking software-as-a-service provider tell.money to deploy a transaction security system in the UK market.

The companies said the partnership will allow Moniepoint to implement Confirmation of Payee, an account name-checking service designed to verify recipient details before payments are processed.

The integration will be rolled out through Monieworld, Moniepoint’s UK remittance subsidiary, as part of the company’s broader European expansion strategy.

Tell.money will provide the underlying verification technology, which the companies said is intended to reduce misdirected payments and help protect users against cross-border fraud.

Ravi Jakhodia, CEO of Monieworld, said: “Our goal with Monieworld is to build financial services for Africans in the diaspora.”

He added that tell.money was selected because it manages compliance and accreditation requirements, allowing the fintech company to focus on customer service.

Moniepoint is entering a competitive UK-to-Africa remittance market that includes established providers such as Wise, WorldRemit and Remitly, as well as African fintech firms including Flutterwave’s Send App.

According to data from the World Bank’s KNOMAD programme, remittance flows to low- and middle-income countries are estimated at about $620 billion annually, with digital -first platforms capturing increasing market share through open banking integrations and automated compliance systems.

The rollout reflects a broader trend of African fintech firms expanding into developed markets by adopting local regulatory and open banking standards.

Industry analysts expect diaspora-focused platforms to evolve beyond money transfers into services such as multi-currency banking, credit and investment products.


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