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WHO Issues Urgent TB Warning as Africa Faces Crisis
WHO warns of urgent tuberculosis crisis in Africa, urging stronger investment and action as the disease continues to kill thousands annually
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has renewed its call for urgent global action to end tuberculosis (TB), warning that the disease continues to pose a severe public health threat across Africa despite recent progress in containment efforts.
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The was issued by Dr Mohamed Janabi, WHO Regional Director for Africa, in a statement marking World Tuberculosis Day 2026 in Abuja.
The annual commemoration, themed “Yes! We Can End TB: Commit, Invest, Deliver,” highlights the need for stronger political commitment, increased funding, and improved healthcare systems to combat one of the world’s deadliest infectious diseases.
Dr Janabi said Africa continues to bear a disproportionate share of the global TB burden, with the disease killing one person every 83 seconds, underscoring what he described as an urgent need for intensified intervention across prevention, diagnosis, and treatment systems.
He revealed that in 2024 alone, tuberculosis claimed 378,000 lives in the WHO African Region and infected 2.7 million people, accounting for roughly a quarter of global cases.
Despite these alarming figures, Dr Janabi noted that significant progress has been recorded in recent years, including a 46 per cent reduction in TB-related deaths and a 28 per cent decline in incidence between 2015 and 2024.
He said several countries, including South Africa, Mozambique, and Tanzania, have made notable strides toward meeting global TB reduction targets through improved healthcare delivery and expanded community engagement.
The WHO tuberculosis Africa warning also highlighted persistent challenges, including funding gaps, undetected cases, and inequalities in access to healthcare services, which continue to slow progress toward elimination.
Dr Janabi stressed that ending TB will require sustained national leadership, stronger domestic and international investment, and empowered communities capable of driving local responses.
He further emphasised that community-led approaches remain essential to improving prevention, diagnosis, and treatment outcomes across the continent.
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The WHO reaffirmed its commitment to supporting member states in accelerating efforts to eliminate tuberculosis as a public health threat, urging renewed global solidarity and action.
The Niger Delta Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Trade, Mines and Agriculture (NDCCITMA) has dismissed allegations that it appropriated the Niger Delta Economic & Investment Summit (NDEIS) brand, insisting it lawfully obtained trademark acceptance for the name and will proceed with its 2026 summit as scheduled.
In a statement issued on September 12, 2026, the chamber described claims by Kunle Nwiwa Junior as “cheap blackmail, misleading, mischievous and a misrepresentation of the facts,” maintaining that it independently developed the summit and followed all required regulatory procedures.
According to NDCCITMA, it applied for and received a Trademark Acceptance Letter for the name Niger Delta Economic & Investment Summit (NDEIS) in August 2025 under File No. NG/TM/O/2025/387284.
The chamber said the chronology of events contradicts allegations that it copied another party’s application, arguing that its trademark acceptance predated the period during which Nwiwa’s own application was reportedly still pending before the relevant authorities.
“Economic Summit” is a generic expression
NDCCITMA further argued that the phrase “Economic Summit” is a generic description widely used for conferences that bring together governments, investors, businesses, development institutions and other stakeholders to discuss investment and economic development.
The chamber maintained that while concepts may be widely used, legal protection only arises from recognised intellectual property rights, including duly registered trademarks and other enforceable proprietary interests.
It therefore rejected suggestions that any individual or organisation has exclusive ownership of the broader concept of an economic summit.
Court grants interim injunction
Addressing reports that the summit had been halted, NDCCITMA said the dispute is already before the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt and that there is no court order restraining the event.
The chamber disclosed that in Suit No. FHC/PHC/CS/57/2026, Justice Stephen Dalyop Pam granted an interim injunction restraining the defendants—Kunle Nwiwa Junior and Keneva Consult Ltd.—from interfering with the planned summit.
According to NDCCITMA, the court also directed the defendants to remove publications, notices, petitions, social media posts and other statements allegedly considered damaging to the chamber’s name, integrity and reputation pending the hearing of its motion for interlocutory injunction.
The matter has been adjourned until September 22, 2026 for further hearing.
Chamber rejects ₦500 million demand claim
NDCCITMA also alleged that it had received a demand from Nwiwa Junior requesting ₦500 million as a condition for abandoning his claims over the summit.
The chamber said the demand was rejected, adding that it subsequently petitioned the Inspector-General of Police over what it described as repeated harassment and threats directed at its officials.
It said the petition sought police intervention, including inviting the complainant for questioning and caution where necessary.
Summit opens September 15
Despite the legal dispute, NDCCITMA reaffirmed that the 2026 Niger Delta Economic & Investment Summit will hold from September 15 to 17, 2026, at the Obi Wali Conference Centre in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
The summit will be held under the theme “Driving Investment, Innovation & Industrial Growth in the Niger Delta” and is expected to bring together policymakers, investors, business leaders, development partners and industry stakeholders to discuss economic transformation across the region.
The chamber said it remains committed to promoting commerce, industry, trade, mining, agriculture and sustainable economic development throughout the Niger Delta while allowing the courts to determine all outstanding legal issues.
Tinubu Niger Delta summit opens in Port Harcourt as investors and policymakers gather to drive investment, innovation and industrial growth
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