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<\/figure>\n\n\n\nThe congress was a platform for exchange and networking built on the\nunderstanding that active partnerships and cross-border collaborations are key\nto discovering and establishing sustainable solutions towards overcoming sickle\ncell in Africa and that a more concerted effort on all front is crucial in\nplacing sickle cell on the global health agenda. Discussions centered on the\nchallenges posed by sickle cell and the opportunities for actions that can be\ntaken to overcome sickle cell disease at local level with the various sessions\nfeaturing presentations from international experts as well as leaders from the\nAfrican region. Alongside the main conference sessions, a dedicated symposium\nfor women overcoming sickle cell enriched the programme. Participants had the\nopportunity to hear from women working to overcome sickle cell disease. It was\na first of its kind on any stage or platform and a major touch-point among the\nparticipants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Following the congress discussions and deliberations, the views and\nrecommendations from participants at the congress advanced sickle cell control\nin Africa as participants endorsed it as a much needed platform for the\nconvening of the sickle community in Africa and the world towards a collective\ngoal of overcoming sickle cell disease in the region; expressed faith in\nattainment of placing sickle cell at the top of the global health agenda and\nappreciated the immense support of the World Health Organisation in catalysing\nmulti-sectorial collaborations towards achieving adequate sickle cell control.\nThe deliberations also appreciated the World Health Organisation for supporting\nthe first ACSCD aimed at raising regional awareness and strengthening\ncross-border collaborations for sickle cell control and hoped for continued\nsupport for the ACSCD to attain and sustain impact and gains in the years\nahead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The congress was officially declared open by the Chief Medical Director of\nDr. SickleCell & ACSCD Co-chair, Dr. David Ajaere on October 31, 2019. All the speakers applauded the congress for\nits success and stressed that active partnerships and cross-border\ncollaborations were prerequisites for furthering sickle cell control in the\nregion. Politics was also identified as a key foundation necessary to enable\npolicy and programmes implementation for sickle cell control. These leading\npolitical and civil rights personalities alongside experts in the field\ncontributed to the inspiring discourse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The congress proceeded in 14 plenaries, panels and special sessions\nfeaturing plenary speakers from vast and varied backgrounds who shared latest\nresearches, statistics and insights with a view to showing how learning and\nexperiences could be applied successfully towards sickle cell control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Among them, Director, Research at Sickle Cell 101, Dr Stephen Boateng,\nspoke on the topic \u2018A Call to Action on Sickle Cell Trait.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n He identified sickle cell trait as \u2018the missing piece to a universal cure\nfor sickle cell disease\u2019, stating that sickle cell trait and sickle cell\ndisease weren\u2019t mutually exclusive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The National Desk Officer for SCD at the Ministry of Health, Dr. Alayo\nSopekan, also delivered a rousing presentation during a panel discussion on\n\u2018Policy and Action for Sickle Cell Control: The African Perspective\u2019. He\noffered knowledge on how to effectively engage with government to foster better\ncollaborations and sustainable solutions for sickle cell at the local level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Also, a renowned haematologist at the University of Benin Teaching\nHospital, Prof. Bazuaye Nosakhare, highlighted that Africa faced the challenge\nof low blood supply for transfusion therapy due to shortage of voluntary blood\ndonors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Speaking on \u2018Treatment options for sickle cell disease in Africa: What are\nwe investing in?\u2019, he noted that Nigeria could now perform Automated Total Red\nCell Exchange since its first successful case in 2014 and highlighted a\nnoticeable increase in general survival rate of sickle cell disease in the\nregion. He, however, lamented that of the 1.5million stem cell transplantation\ndone in the world in 2017, only 2 per cent was done in Africa, calling on the\ngovernment and partners to invest in the much needed healthcare infrastructure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Coordinator, Non Communicable Disease, Primary Prevention Programme at WHO\nAfrica, Prof. Jean-Marie Dangou, emphasised that \u201cscaling up sickle cell\ndisease prevention is essential for achieving universal health coverage\u201d during\nhis keynote address on \u201cSetting Priorities for National, Regional and Global\nSCD Prevention and Control Programmes.\u2019\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The National Marrow Donor Programme\/Be The Match harnessed the congress as\nan opportunity to showcase the vision of their organisation, to help people\nlead \u2018\u2018longer, healthier, happier lives,\u2019\u2019 including activities of the group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In addition to being early sponsors of the congress, the Chief Executive\nOfficer of NMDP\/Be The Match, Dr. Randal Mills gave a special session\npresentation on the topic \u2018\u2018A Cure for Sickle Cell Disease Exists: A Partnership\nmodel to promote Equitable Access to Curative Bone Marrow Transplantation.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/towncryyers.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/IMG-20190522-WA0004.jpg?resize=600%2C400&ssl=1\")
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