The Africa CDC has officially handed over sequencing equipment to the government of Cameroon, the organization has announced.
The handover ceremony took place at the National Public Health Laboratory in Yaounde, Cameroon. The event was attended by Manaouda Malachie, the country's Minister of Health, Benjamin Djoudalbaye, Representative of Africa CDC and other officials from the ministry.
According to the statement, Cameroon received sequencing machines such as Miseq and MinION Mk1C, an analytical and storage server, an automated electrophoresis TapeStation system, as well as other ancillary equipment.
It was noted that the equipment will enable the country "as part of joint efforts to strengthen pathogen genomic surveillance."
The handover of the equipment is part of the agency's initiative to create a network of reference laboratories for genomic sequencing and bioinformatics on the continent.
"The initiative aims to improve the detection and characterization of new variants of SARS-CoV-2, AMR, Malaria, Cholera, Ebola, Marburg and other priority, pathogens and to support the research and development for diagnostics, vaccines and therapeutics," the statement read.
The agency expressed hope for further cooperation with Cameroon, highlighting the need to use genomic technologies to make Africa "a healthier and safer continent."