NICRAT, KIRCT Sign Pact to Boost Research, Capacity Building

The National Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment (NICRAT) and the Kano Independent Research Centre Trust (KIRCT), have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in the areas of research and biobanking.

The MoU was signed when a team from the KIRCT led by Prof Hamisu Salihu, visited the NICRAT Director General, Prof. Usman Malami Aliyu, in Abuja.

Other areas the MoU is expected to cover include clinical and translational research, cancer genomics and precision medicine and grant.

Also, the MoU is designed to cover areas such as cancer screening and prevention and capacity building of all categories of oncology practitioners in the country.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, the Director General of NICRAT, Prof. Usman Malami Aliyu, commended the KIRCT team for its readiness to support the Institute in its effort to improve the general cancer situation in Nigeria.

He recalled that since inception, NICRAT has been consistent in its quest to build the capacity of oncology workforce in the country. This, according to him, led to the training and retraining of over 2000 health experts drawn from the six geopolitical zones of the country in different areas of cancer.

In the area of research, Prof. Malami noted that the Institute has taken the bold initiative to empower cancer researchers by training 120 young researchers in different parts of the country.

He further revealed that the Institute has trained 20 in-house middle level researchers who recently presented and defended their grant proposals.

The NICRAT Director General reiterated the readiness of his management to partner and work closely with both local and international stakeholders in an effort to reduce the burden of cancer in the country.

Speaking, the KIRCT Team Lead, Prof Hamisu Salihu, applauded the NICRAT Director General and his team for their effort in putting the needed structures that have placed Nigeria in the global map of countries that are making concerted effort to fight cancer.

He assured the readiness of his team to support the Institute in whatever way possible to enable it achieve its mandate.