The Seat

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Browsing The Seat by Author "Ichrak Hayah"

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    Enabling Africa’s implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework through the African digital sequence information data bank
    (2024) Anne WT Muigai; Achraf El Allali; Julien Alban Nguinkal; Sally Mueni Katee; Girish Beedessee; Bouabid Badaoui; Marietjie Botes; Semir Bechir Suheil Gaouar; Ichrak Hayah; Justin Eze Ideozu; Sadik Muzemil; Denye Nathaniel Ogeh; Abdoallah Sharaf; Kassahun Tesfaye; ThankGod Echezona Ebenezer
    The African BioGenome Project (AfricaBP) is a Pan-African effort aimed at sequencing the genomes of 105,000 African endemic and indigenous species to support food systems, conservation, and ensure data-sharing and equitable benefits. This effort aligns with the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF), which aims to prevent or mitigate biodiversity loss while facilitating equitable access and benefit-sharing from genetic resources and Digital Sequence Information (DSI) and securing adequate technical and scientific cooperations. The AfricaBP Open Institute for Genomics and Bioinformatics (AfricaBP Open Institute) is the knowledge exchange programme of the AfricaBP which aims to overcome infrastructural barriers through the development of technology and infrastructure. A key component of AfricaBP Open Institute's vision is the establishment of the African Digital Sequence Information Data Bank for Biodiversity and Agriculture (African DSI Data Bank), a federated platform for storing, analyzing, visualizing and sharing DSI data across the African continent. The African DSI Data Bank will address the current fragmentation of DSI across African institutions by linking existing databases and resources while ensuring compliance with regional and global standards. It will use a federated model, leveraging existing (and new) infrastructures across Africa, that allow institutions and countries to retain data sovereignty while adhering to national, regional, and international access and benefit-sharing regulations. Through a proposed Global Access Point (GAP), researchers will be able to gain equitable access to sequence data and metadata via a decentralized network. Furthermore, to understand the current landscape of biodiversity and agricultural DSI databases, analyses, visualization, and data sharing platforms, AfricaBP Open Institute conducted a survey across Africa, and recorded 161 responses. Although the majority of these participants shared common challenges such as limited infrastructure, funding, and capacity building, the overwhelming indication was that they support an African-based DSI platform through an inclusive governance model. Consequently, we describe the proposed roadmap for the creation of an African DSI Data Bank that includes African DSI federated database, visualization, analysis, and sharing platforms, as well as the ethical, legal, social, KMGBF, and sustainability considerations associated with such an infrastructure.
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    Establishing African genomics and bioinformatics programs through annual regional workshops
    (2024) Anne WT Muigai; Abdoallah Sharaf; Lucky Tendani Nesengani; Ichrak Hayah; Josiah Ochieng Kuja; Sinebongo Mdyogolo; Taiwo Crossby Omotoriogun; Blessing Adanta Odogwu; Girish Beedessee; Rae Marvin Smith; Abdelhamid Barakat; Acclaim M. Moila; Adil El Hamouchi; Alia Benkahla; Amal Boukteb; Amine Elmouhtadi; Antoine Lusala Mafwila; et al
    The African BioGenome Project (AfricaBP) Open Institute for Genomics and Bioinformatics aims to overcome barriers to capacity building through its distributed African regional workshops and prioritizes the exchange of grassroots knowledge and innovation in biodiversity genomics and bioinformatics. In 2023, we implemented 28 workshops on biodiversity genomics and bioinformatics, covering 11 African countries across the 5 African geographical regions. These regional workshops trained 408 African scientists in hands-on molecular biology, genomics and bioinformatics techniques as well as the ethical, legal and social issues associated with acquiring genetic resources. Here, we discuss the implementation of transformative strategies, such as expanding the regional workshop model of AfricaBP to involve multiple countries, institutions and partners, including the proposed creation of an African digital database with sequence information relating to both biodiversity and agriculture. This will ultimately help create a critical mass of skilled genomics and bioinformatics scientists across Africa.