Africa CDC Introduces African Strategic Advisory Group on Genomics
Addis Ababa – The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has unveiled the African Strategic Advisory Group on Genomics (ASAG).
This new continental advisory body is designed to offer independent, multidisciplinary, and reliable technical guidance for the strategic management and execution of genomics initiatives throughout Africa.
The introduction of ASAG represents a significant milestone in advancing Africa CDC’s mission to democratize genomic access, enhancing public health programming, precision public health, integrated disease surveillance, outbreak preparedness and response, as well as the local production of medical countermeasures.
The Group aims to assist Africa CDC in ensuring that genomics is utilized ethically and responsibly, maximizing public welfare, while maintaining African leadership, ownership, and equitable benefit-sharing as the foundation of continental genomic initiatives.
Africa has made significant strides in enriching genomic capacity via the Africa Pathogen Genomics Initiative, which has bolstered sequencing, laboratory, bioinformatics, and data systems across the continent.
These investments have facilitated the application of genomics in monitoring and characterizing public health threats such as Mpox, cholera, antimicrobial resistance, malaria, and other diseases prone to epidemics.
ASAG will help solidify these achievements while directing the broader use of pathogen and human genomics to tackle Africa’s top health challenges, including the growing prevalence of non-communicable diseases.
ASAG aligns with Africa CDC’s overarching agenda for Africa Health Security and Sovereignty, which promotes stronger African institutions, continental preparedness and response capabilities, sustainable health funding, digital transformation, local manufacturing, and collaborative procurement strategies.
The initial eight-member ASAG comprises distinguished African and global professionals in pathogen genomics, human genomics, bioinformatics, clinical genetics, precision medicine, public health, data governance, ethics, and capacity building, including:
- Prof. Christian Happi,
- Prof. Ambroise Wonkam,
- Prof. Leon Mutesa,
- Prof. Tulio de Oliveira,
- Prof. Ghada El-Kamah,
- Prof. Nicky Mulder,
- Prof. Charles Rotimi, and
- Dr. Yosr Hamdi.
During its inaugural meeting, members of ASAG elected Prof. Christian Happi as Chair and Prof. Ghada El-Kamah as Co-Chair.
Their leadership will direct the Group’s efforts in providing independent, evidence-based, and Africa-centered advice to Africa CDC, while fostering collaboration among African Union Member States, scientific organizations, public health agencies, and partners.
As a strategic advisory body constituted by Africa CDC, ASAG will function with independence, transparency, accountability, scientific integrity, inclusivity, and equity.
Members will serve in their personal capacities, offering non-binding recommendations to inform Africa CDC’s continental genomics initiatives, while Africa CDC retains the authority for prioritization, decision-making, and execution in alignment with its mandate.
Through this initiative, Africa CDC is making a decisive move towards a future in which genomics promotes innovation, bolsters preparedness for emerging threats, facilitates precision public health, strengthens health systems, and ensures improved and fair health outcomes for all Africans.