Building a Bioimaging Network in West Africa

Access to cutting-edge research equipment is critical for scientific progress, but there is a drastic lack of bioimaging expertise and equipment in Africa. To address the specific needs of West African researchers, this team will establish a West African Bioimaging Network to provide access and training to fluorescence imaging equipment.

Coordinated by a central bioimaging hub at the Biomedical Science Research and Training Centre in Yobe, Nigeria, the network will span across secondary hubs located at the West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens, Ghana, and The MRC Unit at The Gambia. These three sites will be central to advancing their fluorescence imaging facilities and providing access and training to African scientists. The network will also hold hands-on training courses, conferences, seminars, and outreach events with support from the African Bioimaging Consortium. To further the reach of the network, the team will integrate a West African Hub at the Institut Pasteur, Dakar, Senegal using donated imaging equipment.