Africa’s ability to harness Artificial Intelligence (AI), precision medicine and other advances in cancer treatment will depend on building reliable health data systems and developing the expertise to manage them, a health informatics expert has said.

Clinical Informaticist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre (MSK), New York, Dr Chamberlain Nwanne, asserted during a plenary presentation at the 2026 African Research Group for Oncology (ARGO) Symposium, held at Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Osun State.

In his presentation, “From Data to Discovery: Health Informatics as the Foundation of AI and Precision Oncology in Africa,” Nwanne, who holds a PhD in Biomedical Informatics from Rutgers University, U.S., emphasised that advanced cancer care requires more than sophisticated technologies.

He stressed accurate patient records, diagnostic information, laboratory results and treatment outcomes as essential for precision cancer treatment and effective research.

Nwanne, while using an ongoing colorectal cancer immunotherapy clinical trial initiative in Nigeria as an example, explained that identifying eligible patients, confirming diagnoses, documenting biomarker results and monitoring treatment outcomes all depend on reliable, connected information.

He noted that cancer care had evolved from traditional treatment approaches to evidence-based medicine, precision oncology and AI-supported care, with advancement requiring more comprehensive and integrated data.

The expert said that despite challenges, such as fragmented information systems, inadequate infrastructure and limited resources, Africa has an opportunity to develop digital health systems suited to its unique healthcare needs.

“We are not going to transplant what works in America or Europe wholesale to Africa,” he said, advocating locally appropriate solutions rather than simply adopting systems designed for other healthcare environments.

He said that effective data management does not necessarily require sophisticated electronic health record systems, saying: “Properly organised paper records and affordable digital tools, such as spreadsheets, can provide practical starting points for collecting information that can subsequently be consolidated for research and clinical care.”

He also emphasised workforce development as essential to Africa’s adoption of AI in cancer care, citing the MSK–ARGO Applied Health Informatics Certificate Programme, launched in 2026, as an initiative to strengthen the continent’s health informatics capacity.