The West African Network of Infectious Diseases ACEs (African Centres of Excellence) held its first symposium from March 8 - 10th, under the theme "Infectious Diseases in an Era of Global Change: Innovative Multidisciplinary Pan-African Efforts towards Building Research Capacity in Africa."
The three-day symposium, which included in-person and virtual presentations, was hosted by the West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens (WACCBIP), University of Ghana.
Figures 1 & 2: Prof. Gordon Awandare, Director of WACCBIP and Pro VC for Academic and Student Affairs, UG introduces the WANIDA ACEs with background information and welcomes participants to the symposium.
The programme was centered on five thematic areas: surveillance and preparedness for new pandemics; the pathogenic basis of diseases and host responses; innovative disease prevention strategies and vaccinology; neglected tropical diseases; and strategies for malaria control and elimination.
Welcoming participants, the Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research, Innovation, and Development at the University of Ghana, Felix Ankomah Asante, expressed his delight in the theme of the symposium.
Figure 3: Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research, Innovation, & Development, UG, Felix Ankomah Asante, addressing attendees at the symposium.
He said, "the topic for the WANIDA Symposium is very timely. The area of infectious and communicable diseases is a priority for the University of Ghana." He also stated that the university encourages multidisciplinary research.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the symposium, Ekua Bentile, Education Specialist in the Education Global Practice of the World Bank, stated that “the world deals with health challenges that know no boundaries and require combined efforts across the globe.” Africa must actively participate in finding solutions to the challenges because it is home to these infectious diseases.
Figure 4: Ekua Bentile, Education Specialist in the Education Global Practice of the World Bank, speaking to participants on Africa’s role in addressing world challenges.
In his remarks at the opening ceremony of the symposium, Professor Olusola Bandele Oyewole, Secretary-General of the Association of African Universities (AAU), and Guest of Honour for the programme, emphasized the need for African governments and institutions to build their capacity to meet the challenges of their time. He noted that the devastating effects of infectious diseases on livelihoods call for African solutions to African challenges. "The 21st century has witnessed a wave of severe infectious disease outbreaks that have had devastating impacts on lives and livelihoods around the globe. Africa has had its share of diseases peculiar to the region, including the Ebola virus, Lassa fever, and Zika virus, among others, which have resulted in substantial morbidity and mortality in multiple African countries; these have necessitated concerted efforts to build capacities in combating infectious diseases in the region. The need to provide African solutions to Africa’s problems has become key to Africa's sustainable development and growth."
He ended his charge by commending Professor Nana Aba Appiah Amfo, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana; and Professor Gordon Awandare, Founding Director of WACCBIP and Pro Vice-Chancellor responsible for Academic and Students Affairs at the university, for hosting the WANIDA symposium.
The symposium featured a keynote lecture from Dr Patrick Duffy, Chief of the Laboratory of Malaria Immunology and Vaccinology at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), on "Malaria Pathogenesis and Vaccine Discovery."
His presentation focused on malaria epidemiology and disease burden, host-parasite interactions during pregnancy malaria, vaccine discovery for pregnancy malaria, and severe malaria epidemiology inferences.
The Deputy Director in charge of Research, at WACCBIP, Dr Peter Kojo Quashie, delivered a presentation on the topic, "The Silver Lining: The Evolution of SARS-CoV-2 Research at WACCBIP” alongside other speakers who also presented research on a diverse range of biomedical science fields.
Figure 5: Dr Peter Quashie,Deputy Director in charge of Research, at WACCBIP presenting on “The Silver Lining: The Evolution of SARS-CoV-2 Research at WACCBIP”.
To further engage participants, a contest on the theme “My thesis in 3 minutes” was held, with awards presented to the winners as well as poster presentations from researchers across various fields.
Figures 6 & 7: Awardees receiving prizes at the symposium.
Figures 8 & 9: Snapshots of poster presentations at the symposium.
Bringing the event to a close, Professor Gordon Awandare, Founding Director of WACCBIP and Pro Vice-Chancellor responsible for Academic and Students Affairs at the University of Ghana, expressed his gratitude to everyone who attended the event.
The WANIDA symposium was a timely event that brought together experts in infectious diseases and related fields to discuss innovative solutions to the challenges facing Africa. The discussions and presentations were a testament to the importance of building research capacity and collaboration.
About WANIDA
WANIDA is the West African Network of Infectious Diseases ACEs (African Centres of Excellence) established in 2020 to facilitate interactions, collaborations, and networking among the infectious diseases ACEs, other health-related ACEs, and non-ACE institutions in the sub-region to optimise local capacity, addressing the shortcomings of existing health systems in Africa to respond to significant public health threats.
