There is increasing recognition regarding the importance of microbial communities in clinical and environmental ecosystems.

Despite this recognition, few studies have investigated African microbiomes which include some of the most diverse terrestrial, marine environments and the most genetically distinct hosts. These studies are often led by researchers from the global North, with little input from African scholars.

The African Microbiome Project aims to reduce the knowledge deficit regarding microbiota on the African continent. By sequencing 10 million samples of clinical and environmental importance, the project aims to advance current insights regarding microbial communities on the African continent.

While the program welcomes and encourages equitable collaborations with researchers from outside the continent, we hope to create the intellectual environment, and technical capacity, to analyse these datasets within the continent.

Africa, with its rich biodiversity and diverse populations, holds immense potential for microbiome research. By empowering African researchers, we can unlock the secrets of the continent’s unique microbiomes, leading to groundbreaking discoveries in health and disease.

This will not only benefit Africa but also contribute to global knowledge and innovation in microbiome science.