With the number of people living with diabetes estimated at 300 million worldwide and expected to increase to 500 million by 2030, there is an urgent need to act. As part of its plan to strengthen its Regions, the International Diabetes Federation encourages setting goals and targets based on regional needs. With economic development and rapid urbanization, African countries are witnessing a significant increase in the rates diabetes and other non-communicable diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases, chronic respiratory diseases and cancer. Together with communicable diseases, such as HIV /AIDS , tuberculosis and malaria, NCDs pose a serious challenge to the already overstretched healthcare systems in the African Region.