African Bioinformatics Institute looks to revolutionise continent’s research, infrastructure
The African Bioinformatics Institute (ABI), recently launched at the University of Cape Town’s Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine (IDM), looks set to advance bioinformatics research and infrastructure to unlock Africa’s full potential in health, development and innovation.
Image: Diane Serik on Unsplash
In the coming months, the ABI will be established as a non-profit organisation (NPO), reinforcing its long-term independence and Africa-led mandate. “The launch of the ABI marks a major milestone towards the goal of building a truly Africa-led research ecosystem,” said Professor Nicky Mulder, interim lead of the ABI and head of the Computational Biology Division at UCT.
“Bioinformatics and data science are the cornerstone of research to help us achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The ABI is poised to play a foundational role by investing in world-class training, infrastructure and collaboration, which will enhance Africa’s scientific growth.”
The African Bioinformatics Institute will work towards aligning with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the African Union’s Agenda 2063 by:
- Enhancing the continent’s capacity in bioinformatics through training, infrastructure and collaborative networks.
- Interpret and integrate complex datasets critical to local and continental challenges.
- Supporting pandemic preparedness by providing access to high-quality, interoperable bioinformatics tools and platforms.
- Facilitating the implementation of One Health by linking human, animal and ecosystem health to strengthen responses to emerging health threats.
Enabled by seed funding from the Wellcome Trust and the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, the ABI aims to be a catalyst for cutting-edge genomics research, health breakthroughs, and the development of African infrastructure to analyse pathogens, track diseases, and drive evidence-based policy independently.
In recent years, Africa has experienced an exponential increase in biological and environmental data, driven by advances in genomics, public health surveillance and biodiversity research. Yet the infrastructure and expertise to manage and interpret this data remain uneven. The ABI seeks to bridge that gap by enhancing training, creating interoperable systems and supporting local leadership in data science.
Since January 2025, the ABI has established an interim governance council and begun identifying regional nodes to ensure broad geographical representation and research diversity.