**2.1 Costs of managing diabetes**

The World Health Organization (WHO) [11] reports that diabetes is costly to manage, more so in the presence of complications. In 2017, the total cost of managing diabetes was \$327 billion in direct medical costs, as well as \$90 billion in reduced productivity [12]. It has been reported that patients with diabetes incur medical costs 2.3 times higher than those of non-diabetics [12]. When diabetes patients develop complications resulting in hospitalization, the cost of care increases. Hospitalization costs of diabetes are the principal driver of the total costs of managing diabetes. As a result, funds that could have been used for other developmental reasons may be channeled to fighting diabetes. The financial costs of diabetes rise with the rising prevalence of the disease, which is projected to increase in 2045. This increase would strain the healthcare budget, including the overall budgets of governments. Therefore, there is a need for governments to introduce new interventions to manage and prevent diabetes.
