HORIZON-JU-GH-EDCTP3-2022-OA2 Collaboration between GH EDCTP3 and the contributing Partner Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation: Genomic epidemiology for surveillance and control of poverty-related and emerging/re-emerging infections in sub-Saharan Africa

The collaboration between the Global Health EDCTP3 and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Joint Undertaking aims to leverage the genomic sequencing capacity being built in Africa to support epidemiology and surveillance of endemic and epidemic pathogens. In order to achieve this, partnerships between epidemiology sites (such as population cohorts and clinical trial sites) and genomic sequencing labs in national public health institutes (NPHIs) are needed, sharing and leveraging resources and expertise.

The establishment of the Africa Pathogen Genomics Initiative (Africa PGI) with Africa Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), coupled with the accelerated interest in genomic surveillance due to the COVID-19 pandemic has led to increasing capacity for genomic sequencing in Africa. There is an opportunity to advance the impact of genomic surveillance in Africa by better integrating it with epidemiology expertise and study infrastructure. The integration of epidemiology and genomics,