The Zambia Non-Communicable Diseases Alliance (ZANOCODA) has called on government to urgently enact and enforce the Tobacco Control Act Bill of 2025, citing tobacco use as the leading preventable cause of cancer in the country.

Speaking in an interview with ZANIS, ZANOCODA Chairperson Fastone Goma says tobacco consumption has contributed to thousands of deaths linked to cancers such as liver and breast cancer, underscoring the need to prioritise cancer prevention and treatment.

Professor Goma further warned that the growing consumption of processed foods and sugar-sweetened beverages is fuelling overweight and obesity, conditions associated with increased risks of colorectal, breast and liver cancers.

He noted with concern that Zambia records about 15,000 new cancer cases annually, with approximately 9,000 deaths each year, stressing the need for lifestyle change, increased screening and stronger primary prevention measures.

Professor Goma has since urged the government to scale up Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination for cervical cancer screening, as well as improve access to treatment services, including radiology, pathology and chemotherapy.

He also emphasised the importance of decentralising oncology services to provincial hospitals, alongside increased investment in human resources through improved wages, training and retention programmes for oncologists, pathologists and nurses, as a way of reducing the cancer burden.

“Cancer is preventable and treatable if detected early, with targeted policy action on tobacco, unhealthy diets, vaccination and screening,” he said.