Why Africa Must Invest in Genomic Surveillance for Health Security

Resumen

Genomic surveillance has become a transformative pillar of modern public health, enabling countries to detect, monitor, and respond to infectious disease threats with unprecedented precision and speed. The COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated the power of genomics to inform evidence-based decision-making, track pathogen evolution, and accelerate vaccine development through rapid sequencing and global data sharing. Beyond pandemics, genomic surveillance offers wide-ranging applications across outbreak detection, antimicrobial resistance monitoring, wastewater and environmental surveillance, vaccine-preventable diseases, and the control of endemic conditions such as malaria, tuberculosis, and HIV.

For Africa, where the burden of infectious diseases and public health emergencies remains disproportionately high, investing in genomics is essential for building resilient, data-driven health systems. Despite recent progress catalysed by COVID-19, significant gaps persist in sequencing infrastructure, bioinformatics capacity, workforce development, and sustainable financing. This article argues that genomics and genomic surveillance are no longer optional but foundational to health security on the continent. Leveraging regional and global partnerships, strengthening national strategies, and integrating genomics within a One Health framework are critical to translating genomic data into actionable public health intelligence and advancing both national and global health security.