The city of Abuja in Nigeria hosted a workshop on genomic surveillance of meningitis on June 3, 2025. Organized by theNigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) and theSwiss Centre for Scientific Research in Côte d’Ivoire (CSRS), with the support of the Meningitis Research Foundation (MRF) and theWellcome Trust, the event brought together about fifty researchers and public health practitioners from Côte d’Ivoire, the United States, the United Kingdom and various states of Nigeria (Abuja, Kano, Jigawa).
The objective of the workshop was to present the results of the situational analysis on genomic surveillance of meningitis in Nigeria carried out by the NCDC and the CSRS with the support of MRF and the Wellcome Trust. This presentation was given by the principal investigators of the project entitled “Situational Analysis of the Value Chain of Genomic Surveillance of Meningitis in Nigeria”. They are Dr. Kanny Diallo and Dr. Fokou Gilbert of the CSRS, Dr. Emmanuel Eze of the NCDC and Professor Ehimario Igumbor of the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR).
“Together, we have systematically identified the strengths and weaknesses of the current system and made concrete recommendations. Although we have focused on genomic surveillance, our findings clearly show that strengthening the early stages of the value chain is critical to making genomic surveillance effective,” Dr. Kanny Diallo.
The situational analysis carried out shows that the National Reference Laboratory has proven technical capabilities in genomic surveillance. However, no meningitis samples have yet been sequenced locally. The majority of analyses are carried out abroad as part of academic or non-governmental collaborations.
Workshop participants recommended equipping state laboratories with essential culture media and strengthening ties with the Ministry of Agriculture. They also stressed the importance of integrating Nigerian laboratories into international quality assurance programs.
“We need to strengthen sequencing tools in Nigeria to build an autonomous and responsive system. Genomic surveillance is our first line of defense against epidemics. Dr. Adesuyi Omoare of the NCDC.
By aligning science, public policy and resource mobilization, Nigeria is demonstrating its commitment to sustainably defeating meningitis.
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