Program

Collaborating to Improve HPB Cancer Control in Africa: Prevention, Treatment, Research, and Survivorship

August 12–15, 2026 Abuja Continental Hotel, Abuja, Nigeria

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Conference Logistics And Agenda

The 2026 Annual Africa Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Cancer Consortium (AHPBCC) Conference, themed “Collaborating to Improve HPB Cancer Control in Africa: Prevention, Treatment, Research, and Survivorship,” will be held August 12–16, 2026, at the Abuja Continental Hotel in Abuja, Nigeria. The conference is hosted in partnership with Nigerian professional societies and local leadership, including Prof. Abidemi Omonisi, AHPBCC Team Nigeria Lead & President of the Nigerian Cancer Society (NCS); Prof. Abdulfatai Olokoba, President of the Society for Gastroenterology and Hepatology in Nigeria (SOGHIN); as well as the National Cancer Control Program ( NCCP) and Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Abuja, Nigeria.

Pre-Conference Workshops (August 12)

Pre-conference workshops will take place Wednesday, August 12th. Transportation to all workshops will be provided. The agenda for each pre-conference workshop is provided at the end of this document.

Preconference Workshop Chair(s) Location
Wed Aug 12 Advanced Endoscopy Dr. Akwi Asombang (USA, Zambia),
Prof. Abdulfatai Olokoba (Nigeria)		 African Medical Centre of Excellence, Abuja
Wed Aug 12 Standard Gastrointestinal Endoscopy Prof. Casmir Omuemu (Nigeria),
Dr. Augustine Uhunmwangho (Nigeria)		 National Hospital, Abuja
Wed Aug 12 Surgical Skills Dr. Michael Okello (Uganda),
Dr. Jackson Chipaila (Zambia),
Prof. John Devar (South Africa),
Prof. Olusegun Isaac Alatise (Nigeria)		 African Medical Centre of Excellence, Abuja
Wed Aug 12 Ultrasound Techniques Prof. Ashraf Omar (Egypt),
Prof. Yaw Wiafe (Ghana),
Prof. Mitchell Mah’moud (USA),
Prof. Jose Debes		 African Medical Centre of Excellence, Abuja
Wed Aug 12 Basic and Translational Research Prof. Solomon Rotimi (Nigeria),
Dr. Romuald Boua (Burkina Faso) and
Prof. Chiswili Yves Chabu (DRC)		 Federal Medical Centre, Abuja
Wed Aug 12
Patient Advocacy
 Dr. Riaz Kasmani (Kenya),
Pharm. Bisi Bright (Nigeria),
Danjuma Adda (Nigeria),
Dr. Adamu Alhassan Umar (Nigeria)		 Federal Medical Centre, Abuja
Wed Aug 12
HPB Pathology
 Dr. Ernest Adjei (Ghana),
Prof. Fatimah Abdul-Kareem (Nigeria)		 National Hospital, Abuja
Wed Aug 12
Radiation and Clinical Oncology
 Prof. Abubakar Bello (Nigeria),
Prof. Rangaswamy Govindarajan (India, USA) and
Prof. Farouk Dako (Nigeria)		 National Hospital, Abuja

Main Conference

THURSDAY, AUGUST 13th - DAY 1:

Cancer Burden, Treatment, and Quality of Care in HPB Cancers in Africa

  • 07:00 – 08:00 am| Registration and Welcome Coffee
  • 08:00 – 08:05 am| Welcome to Nigeria, AHPBCC Team Lead Nigeria Prof. Abidemi Omonisi Omonisi
  • 08:05 – 10:05 am| Grant Writing Workshop, Prof. Mohammed El-Kassas
  • 09:50 – 10:00 am| Sponsor Presentation
  • 10:05 – 10:35 am| Coffee Break & Networking

Session 1: Cancer Treatment Advances in Africa and the Looming Challenge of Young Onset Cancer

Moderators: Prof. Yves Chiswili Chabu, Prof. Farouk Dakoa)

  • 10:20 – 10:35 am| Expanding Access to Curative Cancer Treatment in Africa: Lessons from Surgical Oncology. Prof. Olusegun Alatise (Nigeria)
  • 10:35 – 10:50 am| Cancer Treatment Advances in Uganda, Clara Odhiambo (Uganda)
  • 10:50 – 11:05 am| Advancing Hepatocellular Carcinoma Care in Africa: Innovation, Access, and Prof. Ashraf Omar (Egypt)
  • 11:05 – 11:20 am| Next-Generation Microbial Immunotherapy for Pancreatic Prof. Yves Chiswili Chabu (DRC, USA)
  • 11:20 – 11:45 am |US National Cancer Institute Keynote: Early Onset Cancer and NCI Cancer Initiatives, Dr. LeeAnn Bailey, NCI (USA)
  • 11:45 – 12:00 pm| Panel discussion
  • 12:00 – 12:10 pm| Sponsor Presentation

Opening Cremony and Inauguration of the Conference

  • 12:15 – 12:25 pm| Welcome Speech, President of AHPBCC, Lewis Roberts, (USA, Ghana)
  • 12:25 – 12:30 pm| Goodwill Message, President of SOGHIN, Fatai Olokoba
  • 12:30 – 12:35 pm| Goodwill Message, Director General of NICRAT, Usman Malami Aliyu
  • 12:35 – 12:40 pm| Goodwill Message, Director General of NIMP, John Oladapo Obafunwa
  • 12:40 – 12:45 pm| Goodwill Message, President Elect of UICC, Her Excellency Zainab Shinkafi-Bagudu
  • 12:45 – 13:15 pm | Keynote Speaker: Empowering the Next Generation Cancer Researchers and Caregivers in Africa through Capacity and Collaborative Building, Prof. (Mrs.) Folakemi Odedina (USA )
  • 13:15 – 13:30 pm| Sponsor Presentation (MegaLife)

    Ministerial Address and Declaration of the Conference Opening

    • 13:35 – 13:50 pm | Iziaq Adekunle Salako, Minister of State for Health and Social Services
    • 13:50 – 14:05 pm | Group Photo
    • 14:05 – 15:00 pm | Lunch Break

    Session 2: International Association of Pancreatology Spotlight

    Moderators: Prof. Edith Okeke, Prof. Kyoichi Takaori

    • 15:00 – 15:20 pm| Chronic pancreatitis for the Generalist, Santhi Vege (USA)
    • 15:20 – 15:40 pm| Advances in Pancreatic Cancer: Early Detection, Surgical Innovation and Global Collaboration, Prof. Kyoichi Takaori (Japan)
    • 15:40 – 16:00 pm| Controlling systemic inflammation and organ failure in severe acute pancreatitis to decrease mortality, Prof. Pramod Garg (India)
    • 16:00 – 16:20 pm| Panel discussion
    • 16:20 – 16:30 pm| Sponsor Presentation

    Session 3: Palliative and Supportive Care in Cancer Management

    Moderators: Prof. Chioma Asuzu, Dr. Helena Musau

    • 16:30 – 16:45 pm| Beyond Tumour Control:Integrating Early Palliative Care into Modern Cancer Management, Samuel Otene (Nigeria)
    • 16:45 – 17:00 pm| Low dose radiation therapy for palliation of cancer pain from Hepatocellular Carcinoma, Laura Dawson (Canada)
    • 17:00 – 17:15 pm| Cancer Palliative Care in Africa: How can we Improve Training, Access, Quality, and Outcomes, Dr. Helena Musau (Kenya)
    • 17:15 – 17:30 pm| Panel discussion

    FRIDAY, AUGUST 14th - DAY 2:

    Capacity/Collaborative Building, Policy, and Patient Advocacy

    • 8:30 – 9:15 am| Africa Guidelines for Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) Buildup Process, Ghassan Abou-Alfa, MSK Cancer Center (USA)
    • 9:15 – 9:25 am| Sponsor Presentation

    Session 5: Quality Improvement and Access to Cancer Treatment in Resource-Limited Settings

    Moderators: Prof. Abubakar Bello, Prof. Rangaswamy Govindarajan

    • 09:30 – 09:45 am| Collaborative Partnership on Pan-African Oncology Care and Capacity Building Program by Shefa Al-Orman International Cancer Hospitals (SOH) in Luxor, Egypt, Dr. Mahmoud Elzembely (Egypt)
    • 09:45 – 10:00 am| Building Clinical Trial Infrastructure as a Tool for Quality Improvement and Access to Cancer Therapies in Africa, Dr. Yaw Asare Aboagye (Ghana)
    • 10:00 – 10:15 am| Operational Research Projects for Hepatitis B Elimination and Liver Cancer Control in Africa, Dr. Gibril Ndow (The Gambia)
    • 10:15 – 10:35 am| Panel discussion
    • 10:35 – 10:45 am| Sponsor Presentation
    • 10:45 – 11:05 am | Coffee Break

    Abstract Presentations

    Moderators: Prof. Wendy Spearman, Prof. Abidemi Omonisi, Dr. Yvonne Ayerki Nartey

    • 11:05 – 11:35 am| Oral Abstract Presentations
      • 10 Oral Presenters (3-minute Rapid Talks)
    • 11:35 – 11:45 am| Sponsor Presentation
    • 11:45 – 12:35 pm| Poster session and exhibit tables
    • 12:35 – 13:35 pm| Lunch Break

    Session 6: Health Systems Strengthening and Policy Implementation for Cancer

    Moderators: Prof. Abidemi Omonisi, Dr. Rebecca Compaore

    • 13:40 – 14:00 pm| Navigating Cancer Control Policies in Resource Limited Settings, Uchechukwu Nwokwu (Nigeria)
    • 14:00 – 14:15 pm| Implementation Science: How to Implement Cancer Control in Africa, Njoki Nijraini (Kenya)
    • 14:15 – 14:30 pm| The Financial Case for Viral Hepatitis Elimination in Sub-Saharan Africa, Homie Razavi
    • 14:30 – 14:50 pm| Panel discussion
    • 14:50 – 15:00 pm| Sponsor Presentation

    Session 7: Building Cancer Research Capacity and Collaborative Networks in Africa

    Moderators: Prof. Emmanuel Nweke, Prof. Solomon Rotimi

    • 15:00 – 15:15 pm| The African Cancer Atlas, Yaw Bediako (Ghana)
    • 15:15 – 15:30 pm| Clinical Artificial Intelligence in Hepatobiliary Cancer Care, Renumathy Dhanasekaran (USA)
    • 15:30 – 15:45 pm| Strengthening Africa’s Research Ecosystem: Capacity, Collaboration, and Impact, Prof. Akhere Omonkhua (The Gambia)
    • 15:45 – 16:00 pm| Panel discussion
    • 16:00 – 16:10 pm| Sponsor Presentation

    Session 8: Patient Advocacy in Cancer Treatment and Survivorship

    Moderators: Dr. Riaz Kasmani, Dr. Adamu Alhassan Umar

    • 16:10 – 16:25 pm| Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation, Stacie Lindsey (USA)
    • 16:25 – 16:40 pm| Epidemiology of Liver Cancers in North Carolina: Opportunities for Prevention, Clinical Care and Capacity Building at the Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Comprehensive Cancer Center, Prof. Adebola Adedimeji (USA)
    • 16:40 – 16:55 pm| Centre for Initiative and Development (CFID), Danjuma Adda (Nigeria)
    • 16:55 – 17:10 pm| Advocate Health/Atrium Health Baptist Comprehensive Cancer Center
    • 17:10 – 17:30 pm| Panel discussion
    SATURDAY, AUGUST 15th – DAY 3:

    Translational Research and Innovation in HPB Cancer Management and Treatment

    • 07:30 – 08:30 am| Breakout session: Biorepository & Registry Management: Hands-On REDCap Data Entry, Mayo Team (USA)
    • 08:30 – 09:00 am| Keynote Speaker: The Stroma is the story: from pancreatic tumour stroma to the architecture of African cancer sovereignty, Dr. Abasi Ene Obong, Syndicate Bio (Nigeria)
    • 09:00 – 09:30 am| AASLD Special Lecture: Fibrosis Unmasked: From Silent Scars to Targeted Therapies, Prof. Scott L Friedman, (USA)
    • 09:30 – 09:40 am| Sponsor Presentation

    Session 9: Precision Medicine and Molecular Profiling for HPB Cancers

    Moderators: Prof. Marco Zaki, Prof. Bolni Marius Nagalo

    • 09:40 – 09:55 am| Genomics in Cancer Patients of African Ancestry, Solomon Rotimi (Nigeria)
    • 09:55 – 10:10 am| Unraveling the Tumor Microenvironment of African PDAC Patients by genomic profiling, Ms. Sinegugu Dubazana (South Africa)
    • 10:10 – 10:25 am| Liquid biopsy in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma- Role as potential biomarkers, Prof. Emmanuel Nweke (South Africa)
    • 10:25 – 10:40 am| State of the art of precision therapy of pancreatobiliary cancers Mitesh Borad (USA)
    • 10:40 – 10:55 am| Empowering the Next Generation of Precision Genomics in Africa, Derrick Akpalu (Ghana)
    • 10:55 – 11:10 am| Panel discussion
    • 11:10 – 11:20 am| Sponsor Presentation
    • 11:20 – 11:40 am| Coffee Break

    Session 10: : AI, Data Science, and Digital Tools in Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment

    Moderators: Prof. Michael Bauer, Dr. Boua Romuald

    • 11:45 – 12:00pm | Localized Intelligence: Bridging the Gap in Hepatopancreatobiliary Cancer Detection with Adaptive AI, Mr. Doyin Bademosi, Durotimi AI
    • 12:00 – 12:15pm | TumorX: An AI-Driven Oncology System for Early Cancer Detection and Clinical Decision Support in Resource-Constrained Health Systems, Mr. Ahmed Hamma
    • 12:15 – 12:30pm| Strategies for Applying Plasma Proteomic Profiling to Improve Early HPB Cancer Detection in Low- and Middle-Income Countries, Prof. Michael Bauer (USA)
    • 12:30 – 12:45 pm| Machine Learning Tools for Multiomics Analysis, Stefano Cacciatore (South Africa)
    • 12:45 – 13:05 pm| Panel discussion

    Closing Ceremony: Future Directions and Conference Outcomes

      • 13:05 – 13:35 | Consortium Project Progress Reports
      • 13:35 – 13:40 | Consortium Member Successes
      • 13:40 – 13:45 | Closing remarks by the Conference chair and AHPBCC leads
      • 13:45 – 14:00 | 2027 Announcement
      • End by 14:00 pm | Take Away Lunch
      • 14:00 – 17:00 pm | NCS AND SOGHIN GENERAL MEETINGS