Dr Emmanuel Daudu Ph.D
The World Health Organization (WHO) has raised concerns over the growing burden of diabetes across Africa, warning that millions of people are living with the condition without knowing their status.
WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr Mohamed Janabi, disclosed this in his message marking the 2026 World Diabetes Day, observed on November 14, under the theme, “Early Action on Diabetes.”
Janabi said diabetes was increasingly affecting the lives and livelihoods of millions of people across the continent, noting that many patients only discover they have the condition after developing serious health complications.
According to him, early diagnosis and timely treatment remain critical to preventing complications, reducing suffering and saving lives.
Citing figures from the International Diabetes Federation, the WHO Regional Director disclosed that an estimated 24.6 million adults aged 20 to 79 were living with diabetes in the WHO African Region in 2024, with the figure projected to rise to 59.5 million by 2050.
He expressed concern that nearly three out of every four adults living with diabetes in Africa remain undiagnosed, representing the highest proportion globally.
He warned that undiagnosed and poorly managed diabetes could lead to serious complications, including kidney failure, blindness, cardiovascular diseases and lower-limb amputations.
Janabi urged individuals to pay attention to common warning signs of diabetes, including increased thirst, frequent urination, unexplained weight loss, persistent tiredness and blurred vision.
He advised people experiencing such symptoms to seek medical attention and undergo testing promptly, while encouraging those at increased risk to undertake regular screening even when they show no obvious symptoms.
The WHO Regional Director also called on communities to intensify public awareness, share accurate information and challenge stigma and discrimination against people living with diabetes.
Addressing healthcare workers, he urged them to prioritize early recognition of symptoms, timely testing and compassionate, patient-centred care to improve treatment outcomes and prevent complications.
Janabi highlighted ongoing WHO interventions aimed at strengthening diabetes services across the continent, including the WHO Package of Essential Noncommunicable Disease Interventions (WHO PEN), HEARTS technical package, HEARTS-D for the diagnosis and management of type 2 diabetes, and the PEN-Plus regional strategy.
He commended Rwanda for achieving nationwide district-level coverage of PEN-Plus, while acknowledging that significant gaps remain in access to trained healthcare workers, diagnostic services, essential medicines and continuous care.
He called on African governments to prioritize diabetes prevention, early diagnosis and sustained treatment within primary healthcare systems and universal health coverage.
He further emphasized the need for increased investment in public awareness, affordable insulin and essential medicines, diagnostic equipment, trained health personnel and stronger healthcare systems.
The WHO Regional Director also urged development partners, civil society organizations and the private sector to support country-led initiatives, particularly in underserved communities.
He reaffirmed WHO’s commitment to supporting Member States in accelerating progress towards the 2030 targets of the Framework for the Implementation of the Global Diabetes Compact in the African Region.
Janabi concluded with a call for collective action, urging Africans to recognize diabetes symptoms, seek testing and treatment early, and encourage others to do the same.
He further stressed that timely diagnosis and access to quality treatment could help prevent avoidable disabilities and deaths, and ensure that no one loses their sight, a limb or their life because diabetes was detected too late.
