For the past 10 years, the Human Heredity and Health in Africa (H3Africa) consortium (link is external) has facilitated genomic research with African populations to better understand the interaction of genes and the environment in health and diseases. Across the 51 projects spanning 30 African countries, there have been numerous achievements that have laid a foundation for African communities to continue building on the research progress and make lasting changes in research equality.
Among these achievements are the establishment of training programs, increased visibility of African genomics, bolstered education and awareness through community engagement, and established standards and norms around data sharing. However, as the program nears conclusion, there are still unaddressed concerns and opportunities for expansion. In an article in Nature, authors writing on behalf of the H3Africa Steering Committee suggest at least four systemic changes are necessary to progress genomics research in Africa. The first is for African governments to prioritize research funding to ensure full ownership of the projects enabling health-care practitioners and researchers to continue working in Africa and ultimately benefiting the local populations. The second is industry buy-in such as public-private partnerships could also help resolve critical needs such as hiring personnel or acquiring essential research supplies. The third is increasing the number of geneticists and using electronic health records to enhance genomic research and clinical care. Lastly, the historical legacies of colonialism and scientific racism created a barrier for African populations to equally participate in research. Promoting collaborations and engaging research participants should be a high priority to attain equality in African research.
Much has been accomplished during this last decade of the H3Africa program, and the researchers propose there is still much more that can be done to sustain the improvements made and build upon the successes of this initiative.
Lombard Z, Landouré G. Could Africa be the future for genomics research? Nature. 2023 Feb;614(7946):30-33. doi: 10.1038/d41586-023-00222-x. PMID: 36720945.
