By: Nana
Appiah Acquaye
The Science for Africa
Foundation has called for sustained investment in African-led research, data
infrastructure, specialised skills and coordinated national and regional
strategies to translate advances in precision medicine into more equitable
healthcare across the continent.
The call was highlighted at
the 6th African Health Research and Innovation Funders Forum (AHRIFF 2026),
where African and global funders discussed how greater alignment in funding and
partnerships could help turn scientific advances into solutions that improve
health outcomes.
The forum aims to reduce
duplication, strengthen collaboration and accelerate investment in health
research and innovation. This year’s theme, “The need for alignment!”,
emphasised the importance of coordinated approaches to funding and translating
research into impact.
During discussions at the
Precision Medicine in Africa session, the Science for Africa Foundation
highlighted initiatives such as GEN-IMPACT as examples of the value of
coordinated investment in Africa’s precision medicine ecosystem.
The discussions also
underscored the opportunity to harness Africa’s genomic diversity to advance
more equitable, context-specific healthcare.
The foundation said strong
ethical safeguards, clear data governance and meaningful community engagement
were essential to building trust and ensuring people understand how their
genetic data is used.
With African populations
still underrepresented in global genomic datasets, the priority is to connect
scientific excellence with practical implementation, ensuring advances in
genomics inform policy, strengthen health systems and deliver meaningful health
benefits for African populations.
