Ondo State, Nigeria, July 07, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — CMMB (Catholic Medical Mission Board) today announced the expansion of its Noncommunicable Disease Impact Initiative (NCDI) to Nigeria in partnership with the Rolan Foundation. Building on CMMB’s recent NCDI rollout in Sierra Leone, the new program site adds a third African country to the NCDI footprint and marks continued momentum toward expanding affordable care for diabetes and hypertension across underserved settings.
Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) remain a leading cause of death globally, with the greatest burden concentrated in low- and middle-income countries. In Nigeria, NCDs account for 27%–30% of all deaths annually. The country reports the highest absolute number of people living with diabetes in Africa and is experiencing rapidly rising rates of hypertension.
The NCDI comes to Nigeria at a pivotal moment, as national leaders and the Ministry of Health (MOH) intensify efforts to address NCDs. While the country has established a strong policy framework for NCD prevention and control, translating these policies into consistent, quality care remains a significant challenge.
Persistent constraints in staffing, supply chain reliability, domestic financing, and routine data use continue to affect service delivery across all levels of the health system, particularly within primary healthcare.
In collaboration with national and local governments, CMMB and the Rolan Foundation will work to expand access to first-line treatment for diabetes and hypertension. This will be achieved by adapting CMMB’s primary healthcare-focused model to Nigeria’s context, while supporting the MOH’s strategic priorities to strengthen NCD prevention, treatment, and care.
In Kenya, the initiative is strengthening services in 50 primary healthcare facilities across 10 counties. As of March 2026, over 12,500 patients have been enrolled in care. The initiative’s subsidized medicine procurement has contributed to a 27% increase in availability from baseline.
Following a comprehensive landscape assessment in Nigeria, the Rolan Foundation will adapt the NCDI model under the following priority areas:
- Medicine access and supply chain visibility, including demand forecasting and inventory management
- Facility-level data for chronic disease management and national planning
- Integration of NCD care into primary healthcare delivery models
- Alignment and reinforcement of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare’s NCD policy frameworks
“Our NCD initiative is expanding to help address the stark gap in treatment access,” says Darnelle Bernier, Vice President of CMMB’s Access to Medicines Program. “Our partnership with the Rolan Foundation allows us to extend a promising model to a new setting, with distinct barriers to health, while working closely with local partners to ensure long-term impact.”
“Nigeria has the policy foundation, what has been missing is consistent, quality care at the community level. Our partnership with CMMB gives us a proven pathway to close that gap, starting where it matters most: primary healthcare,” says Raymond Olaniyan, Executive Director, Rolan Foundation.
Together, CMMB and the Rolan Foundation are helping to shift NCD care from reactive, often administered well after disease has progressed and patients are facing serious complications, to proactive and integrated into existing structures of primary healthcare. The goal is to make care available nearby, quality-assured, and more affordable than unregulated retail pharmacies.
About CMMB
Catholic Medical Mission Board (CMMB) is a faith-based non-governmental organization working around the world to love our neighbor by bringing healthcare closer to home. Guided by its vision of a world in which every human life is valued, and health and human dignity are shared by all, CMMB partners globally to strengthen healthcare systems and expand access to sustainable, high-quality care for underserved communities.
About Rolan Foundation
Rolan Foundation is a Nigerian not-for-profit organization committed to improving the lives of vulnerable and underserved populations through sustainable, community-driven interventions. Working across key thematic areas including health and wellbeing, education, food security and nutrition, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), youth development, environmental sustainability, and emergency response, the foundation partners with governments, communities, and development organizations to strengthen systems, improve access to essential services, and create lasting impact across urban, rural, and hard-to-reach communities in Nigeria.
Emma Cashman CMMB (Catholic Medical Mission Board) (518) 290-0105 communications@cmmb.org
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