EU-Africa PerMed (www.euafrica-permed.eu) is an international project funded by the European Commission Horizon 2020 framework programme. The project has the objective of integrating African countries in the development of a global Personalised Medicine (PM) research agenda by facilitating their participation in the activities of the International Consortium for Personalised Medicine (ICPerMed) and by strengthening the collaborations in PM between Africa and Europe. Incorporating African Countries to the global PM agenda can contribute to shortening existing health disparities between developed and developing countries, as well as facilitating access of African countries to new tools and technologies that have the potential to make healthcare more efficient and equitable.
To advance in this objective, the project organized an ICPerMed engagement meeting in Nairobi, Kenya on the 10-11 June 2025, hosted by the Kenyan National Commission for Science, Technology and Innovation (NACOSTI).
Representatives of African Ministries of Health and Research funding organizations from Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Morocco, Senegal, Tanzania and Uganda, together with ICPerMed members from Estonia, Tunisia, France and South Africa, joined the meeting. The aim of the meeting was to bring together organisations interested in joining the ICPerMed, to discuss PM in general, the benefits and opportunities coming from global collaborations, and the ICPerMed consortium specifically, and how those joint collaborations can support local, national and regional developments.
The meeting was hosted by the Kenyan National Commission for Science, Technology and Innovation (NACOSTI), partners in EU-Africa PerMed. Dr. Benson Mburu, Head of Biological and Health Sciences Department at NACOSTI opened the meeting and welcome the participants, and reinforced the commitment and support of NACOSTI in advancing PM in the country and the region.
The European Commission was represented at the opening session by Dr. Indridi Benediktsson, Senior policy officer at DG RTD, who shared a video with the participants.
Dr. Benediktsson underlined the importance of keeping the contacts already created in the project through ICPerMed, why organizations from Africa and Europe need to collaborate together, learn from each other and how Personalised Medicine can support to reduce the rising health costs, which are a common issue across all countries and continents.
The video is available on the EUAfrica PerMed YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/Dg3kJBVJm3w
The agenda of the meeting included a keynote presentation from Dr. Mohamed Zahir, Senior lecturer at the Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences in Tanzania and co-founder and general secretary of the Tanzania Human Genetics organization, focused on “Personalised Medicine in Africa and the benefits of International Collaboration”.
A session during the meeting was specifically focused on Members of ICPerMed attending the meeting shared with the participants Lessons learnt and experiences in participating in this international platform. Potential new members shared their thoughts about what are the main challenges and opportunities for joining ICPerMed , and how joining the International consortium can support the advancement of the PM agenda in their country.
Members of ICPerMed attending the meeting shared with the participants Lessons learnt and experiences in participating in this international platform. Potential new members shared their thoughts about what are the main challenges and opportunities for joining ICPerMed , and how joining the International consortium can support the advancement of the PM agenda in their country.
Participants in the ICPerMed engagement meeting in Nairobi, Kenya 10th June 2025
With the support of the EU-Africa PerMed project, the Tanzania Commission for Science and Technology COSTECH has very recently joined ICPerMed, becoming the fourth Africa organization becoming a full member of the Consortium. The recent meeting in Nairobi is part of the project work to advance in the integration of African organizations in ICPerMed, and ensure that emerging medical research reflects the diverse health needs and populations across both continents.
The agenda of the Meeting is available here: [PDF]
Presentations
- Personalised Medicine in Africa and the benefits of international collaboration. Dr. Mohamed Zahir Alimohamed, Senior Lecturer at Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Tanzania. Co-Founder & General Secretary, The Tanzania Human Genetics Organization [PDF]
- The International Consortium for Personalised Medicine ICPerMed. Monika Frenzel, French National Research Agency (ANR), France [PDF]
- The EU-Africa PerMed project. Erika Sela, INNOVATEC, coordinator of EU-Africa PerMed, Spain [PDF]
Participants in the meeting had also the opportunity to visit the Kenya Medical Research Institute KEMRI (https://www.kemri.go.ke/careers/) and the Kenya Institute of Primate Research – KIPRE (https://primateresearch.org/). Both research organizations are leading scientific institutions in their country and internationally, and are carrying out precision medicine research, as well as supporting the launching of the Precision Medicine Task Force. https://www.kemri.go.ke/unveiling-kenyas-precision-medicine-strengthening-disease-management-through-targeted-therapy/
Meeting participants at the Clinical Trials Unit of KEMRI in Nairobi, 11th June 2025