Background
Cancer surveillance in Africa relies almost entirely on cancer registries, in the absence of cause of death statistics. African registries able to generate incidence rates of cancers first appeared in the late 1950's, but by the 1970s had vanished completely. IARC's Medium-Term Strategy 2026–2030  emphasizes the importance of data for action, and highlights the need for capacity-building in cancer registration. 
Objectives
  To assist countries developing national cancer control plans to implement a system of cancer surveillance involving at least one cancer registry.
To disseminate information on cancer incidence and outcome globally.
To foster professional interaction between those engaged in cancer registation in Africa and worldwide
To encourage research involving the use of cancer registry data
Methods & Results
    Supporting the creation of new cancer registries, by providing a range of technical support (and financial support in pilot phases). Technical support via consultancies to develop and encourage best practice, and provision of a wide range of practical tools. These include technical documents (guidelines, standards, manuals) and IT tools. The most prominent of the latter is the CanReg software for use by cancer reguistries in LMICs. First created in 1987/88, the fifth version (CanReg-5) is provided free by IARC, and partner organisations ensure that technical backup is available to users.
    Dissemination of international data on cancer incidence began with the Cancer Incidence in Five Continents (CI5) series in 1966, which became the responsibility of IARC in 1976. The number of African registries in CI5 increased from 0 in Volume IV to 14 in Volume XII. For Africa, three successive volumes of "Cancer in Africa" have provided more extensive information, drawing on all available sources, together with an analysis of the observations. Thirty six cancer registries in 24 countries now contribute to the national estimates of incidence and mortality in the Globocan series. 
   The International Association of Cancer Registries, founded in 1967 (with a secretariat in IARC) provides a global forum for cancer registry professionals, but it was not until 2012 that Africa developed its own forum for providing mutual support - the African Cancer Registry Network (AFCRN). AFCRN was designated the regional hub for sub-Saharan Africa in IARC's GICR programme.
    Registries were initially conceived as providing clues to cancer aetiology through delineating geographic variations in risk "geographic pathology". IARC has a long history in encouraging African registries with opportunities to study putative risk factors, as well as exploring patterns of prevention, early diagnosis and treatment, a role now largely the responsibility of its regional hub. The numbers of research articles in the international literature from African cancer registries has increased progressively in the last 15 years 
 Conclusions   
    Knowledge of patterns and trends of cancer incidence, stage, and survival in Africa has steadily expanded, especially since c1985, with the active support of IARC's cancer surveillance division and its international partners.