The Lagos State Government, under the leadership of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has inaugurated a Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) Technical Working Group (TWG) to develop and coordinate integrated strategies aimed at addressing the growing burden of non-communicable diseases in the state.
The inauguration, held in Ikeja, brought together key stakeholders, including policymakers, health professionals, development partners, and civil society organisations to deliberate on sustainable approaches to NCD prevention, treatment, and control within Lagos State’s health system.
According to the Lagos State Ministry of Health, the TWG is mandated to drive policy and strategy development, strengthen the health system, and support the integration of NCD services into primary healthcare. It will also promote health education and preventive interventions targeting major risk factors such as tobacco use, unhealthy diets, physical inactivity, and harmful alcohol consumption.
The group will further oversee monitoring and evaluation mechanisms to track progress, identify gaps, and recommend evidence-based policy adjustments. In addition, it is expected to mobilise resources and advocate for sustainable financing to support long-term NCD control programmes.
Membership of the TWG comprises representatives from the Lagos State Ministry of Health and its agencies including the Lagos State Health Management Agency (LASHMA) and the Primary Health Care Board — as well as health districts, academia, development partners, civil society organisations, and patient advocacy groups.
Speaking at the inauguration, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health, Dr. Olusegun Ogboye, described the event as “a significant step forward in the state’s collective efforts to address the silent yet formidable threat of NCDs.”
He noted that diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, cancer, sickle cell disease, mental health disorders, and chronic respiratory conditions now account for nearly 29 per cent of all deaths in Nigeria.
He acknowledged Lagos’s achievements in reducing infectious diseases and improving maternal and child health but warned that lifestyle-related conditions were increasingly shaping the state’s health priorities.
Dr. Ogboye also cautioned that the attention given to infectious disease outbreaks such as COVID-19 and diphtheria has often overshadowed the persistent threat of NCDs, adding that “while such outbreaks demand urgent attention, NCDs continue to claim lives steadily but preventably.”
