The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and Illumina (NASDAQ: ILMN), a global leader in sequencing technology, have reaffirmed their commitment to advancing the Africa Pathogen Genomics Initiative (Africa PGI). This renewed collaboration seeks to bolster public health surveillance and improve the continent’s ability to respond to infectious disease outbreaks and emerging health threats.
This strengthened partnership builds on the progress made since 2021, particularly in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and aims to address other public health challenges, including endemic diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis, and cholera. The focus of this collaboration is to expand access to next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies and expertise, while enhancing laboratory networks across Africa.
Dr. Jean Kaseya, Director-General of Africa CDC, emphasized the importance of genomics in strengthening the continent’s public health systems. “Africa CDC is pleased to continue its collaboration with Illumina and other partners to enhance Africa’s capacity to detect and respond to emerging health threats. Genomics is transforming disease surveillance, and this partnership will integrate next-generation sequencing into routine public health systems. Our goal is clear – by the end of 2025, all 55 National Public Health Institutes (NPHIs) will have operational NGS capacity, better protecting Africa’s health,” said Dr. Kaseya.
Illumina’s contributions to this effort have included the provision of NGS platforms, reagents, and extensive training. Moving forward, the collaboration will see additional sequencing instruments and reagents distributed to approximately 25 countries across the continent.
Belinda Ngongo, Director of Global Health at Illumina, highlighted the company’s dedication to advancing global health through genomics. “At Illumina, we are driven by the potential of genomics to transform global health. By expanding access to state-of-the-art sequencing technologies, we aim to help every country rapidly detect and respond to health threats. Our partnership with Africa CDC brings us closer to realizing a future where genomics is integrated into routine public health surveillance, enabling faster, more effective responses to outbreaks and ultimately saving lives,” Ngongo said.
Launched in October 2020, Africa PGI is a flagship initiative of Africa CDC designed to strengthen public health surveillance across Africa by integrating pathogen genomics and bioinformatics into routine public health efforts. The initiative aims to enable faster responses to infectious disease threats, improve disease control and prevention, and facilitate the development of more effective diagnostics, treatments, and vaccines. Africa PGI’s long-term goal is to create a resilient, integrated, and sustainable ecosystem for molecular diagnostics, genomic surveillance, and epidemiology across the continent.
About Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC)
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) is a public health agency of the African Union. It operates autonomously to support member states in strengthening health systems, enhancing disease surveillance, and coordinating emergency responses to disease outbreaks.
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