The World Health Organization warned on Friday that millions of people across Africa are living with diabetes without knowing it, calling for urgent action on screening, early treatment and public awareness.

Source: BusinessDay — WHO warns of rising diabetes burden in Africa, 30 October 2026

WHO Regional Director for Africa Dr Mohamed Janabi raised the alarm in a message ahead of World Diabetes Day 2026, which is marked on November 14 under the theme “Early Action on Diabetes.” Citing International Diabetes Federation (IDF) data, he said an estimated 24.6 million adults aged 20 to 79 were living with diabetes in the WHO African Region in 2024.

24.6 millionAdults aged 20–79 living with diabetes in the WHO African Region in 2024 (IDF)
~75%Share of cases undiagnosed — the highest proportion of any region in the world
59.5 millionProjected cases by 2050 if prevention, diagnosis and treatment are not strengthened

Janabi said the number could rise to 59.5 million by 2050 if governments and healthcare providers fail to strengthen prevention, diagnosis and treatment. He expressed particular concern that nearly 75 per cent of adults living with diabetes in Africa remain unaware of their condition — the highest rate of undiagnosed diabetes globally — leaving millions at risk of complications including kidney failure, blindness, cardiovascular disease and lower-limb amputations.

Source: InsideBusiness — WHO Warns 75% of Africans With Diabetes Remain Undiagnosed, 30 October 2026

Know the warning signs

Janabi urged people to watch for warning signs such as increased thirst, frequent urination, unexplained weight loss, persistent tiredness and blurred vision, and to seek testing early. The warning underlines a sharp detection gap: in WHO's World Diabetes Day message a year ago, the undiagnosed share in the region was put at nearly half; this year's message puts it at three in four.

Source: JolibaLive — WHO: 75% of Africans with Diabetes Don’t Know They Have It, 30 October 2026

What WHO is pushing

WHO said it is supporting African countries to strengthen diabetes services through the Package of Essential Noncommunicable Disease Interventions (WHO PEN), the HEARTS and HEARTS-D packages and the PEN-Plus regional strategy for severe noncommunicable diseases, and reaffirmed its commitment to the 2030 targets of the Global Diabetes Compact.

Source: Windflow — WHO Raises Concern Over Rising Diabetes Cases, Urges Early Detection in Africa, 30 October 2026

What is solid

  • Dr Mohamed Janabi issued the warning in a World Diabetes Day message; the day falls on November 14 and this year's theme is “Early Action on Diabetes”
  • The 24.6 million figure covers adults aged 20–79 in the WHO African Region in 2024 and comes from the International Diabetes Federation
  • The projection of 59.5 million cases by 2050 is conditional on weaker prevention, diagnosis and treatment efforts
  • WHO named the PEN, HEARTS, HEARTS-D and PEN-Plus programmes as its support tools in the region

What is only claimed

  • The undiagnosed share — this year's message says nearly 75 per cent, while WHO's 2025 message put it at nearly half; both are estimates and the methods behind the change were not detailed in the reports
  • Regional totals depend on IDF modelling for countries where routine diagnosis data are incomplete

What happens next is practical: World Diabetes Day on November 14 will be the region's awareness push, and the test of the warning is whether screening and primary-care diagnosis expand fast enough to find the undiagnosed before complications do. For the large African and South Asian diaspora alike, the message travels — diabetes risk runs high in Punjabi and Indian families too, and the same early-testing advice applies wherever people live.