Gabon has launched its national November Blue 2026 campaign against cancers affecting men, extending prostate screening and awareness work to all nine of the country's provinces.

Health Minister Professor Elsa Nkana Joséphine Ayo épouse Bivigou formally opened the campaign on Wednesday, 11 November, at the Nzeng-Ayong health centre in Libreville's sixth district. The launch included the handover of screening kits to strengthen prevention work at the centre and in health facilities across the country.

The campaign, held under the theme "Unis par l'unique", aims to encourage more men to talk openly about their health, to come forward for screening earlier, and to improve care for those diagnosed with male cancers, with a particular focus on prostate cancer.

Screening drive reaches all nine provinces

For this year's edition, the prevention programme is being extended to the whole country so that screening services are brought closer to people outside the capital. Screening kits are being distributed to health facilities to support that expansion.

The government says the figures from last year's campaign show why early detection matters. In 2025, 3,100 people were screened and 227 suspected cases were identified and referred for medical follow-up.

Screening sites were already operating before the formal launch. Twenty-five centres were open across the country, including 17 in Libreville and eight in the provinces, with the campaign covering prostate cancer, which mainly affects men from the age of 50, testicular cancer, which more often affects younger men, and penile cancer, which is rarer. The campaign's message is "Osons parler, osons consulter" — let's dare to talk, let's dare to consult.

Breaking the taboo around screening

Speaking at the launch, the health minister urged men to stop treating screening as something shameful. "Screening is not a taboo. It is an act of responsibility and prevention," she said, inviting men to make their health a priority.

The ceremony was attended by Daniel Nkoulou Abessolo, mayor of Libreville's sixth district, Dr Catherine Ovono Mezui, director of the Nzeng-Ayong health centre, and Dr Jean Massande Mouyendi, president of the Gabonese Society of Urology. Equipment was symbolically handed over to the urology society's president as a sign of institutional support for prevention work.

The government said the campaign forms part of President Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema's wider effort to strengthen the national health system, bring health services closer to communities and improve access to care. Officials said prevention would be treated as a permanent effort, drawing on public institutions, health workers, technical and financial partners, local authorities and families.