The H3Africa Initiative aims to facilitate a contemporary research approach to the study of genomics and environmental determinants of common diseases with the goal of improving the health of African populations. To accomplish this, the H3Africa Initiative aims to contribute to the development of the necessary expertise among African scientists, and to establish networks of African investigators.

Vision of the initiative

The vision of H3Africa is to create and support a pan-continental network of laboratories that will be equipped to apply leading-edge research to the study of the complex interplay between environmental and genetic factors which determines disease susceptibility and drug responses in African populations. Data generated from this effort will inform strategies to address health inequity and ultimately lead to health benefit in Africa.

To achieve this, the following issues must be addressed:

• Ensuring access to relevant genomic technologies for African scientists
• Facilitating integration between genomic and clinical studies
• Facilitating training at all levels, and particularly in training research leaders
• Establishing necessary research infrastructure