Genomics Strategic Core Platform

A genomics facility in The Gambia now sequences whole human genomes and COVID-19 isolates on site, rather than shipping samples abroad. Before this upgrade, local researchers acted as a postbox, sending material overseas and waiting for results. The platform proved its worth during the pandemic, when rapid sequencing of local COVID-19 isolates directly informed the country’s public health response. The core problem is that West African nations have long lacked the infrastructure to perform their own large-scale genomics, forcing reliance on external labs and slowing outbreak detection, disease surveillance, and research into locally relevant conditions. This project aims to change that by building a regional centre of excellence and a high-throughput genomics platform for West Africa. If successful, the unit will help partners across the sub-region establish their own sequencing capacity, decentralising ownership and strengthening genomic surveillance networks. For everyday life, this could mean faster identification of emerging pathogens, better tracking of drug-resistant infections, and more locally relevant genetic research—systems that quietly underpin public health but are often invisible until they fail.