African experts gain genome sequencing skills through China-supported training

A Chinese trainer teaches African experts how to operate laboratory machines in a laboratory in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia's capital, Nov. 20, 2025. (Photo by Michael Tewelde/Xinhua)

Standing shoulder to shoulder in a gleaming laboratory in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia's capital, African and Chinese health experts pored over advanced equipment as they took part in a training session on laboratory detection and genome sequencing.

The three-week program, delivered mainly by Chinese health experts at the Chinese-built Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention headquarters, is part of broader China-Africa cooperation to advance public health capacity across the continent.

For the participants, the hands-on training has been highly interactive and immediately relevant to their daily work responding to disease outbreaks.

Kone Klima Marcel, a microbiologist at the National Institute of Public Health of Mali, speaks to Xinhua in a laboratory in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia's capital, Nov. 20, 2025. (Photo by Michael Tewelde/Xinhua)

Kone Klima Marcel, a microbiologist at the National Institute of Public Health of Mali, said the training has given him a "great opportunity" to learn Chinese DNA sequencing technology capable of determining an organism's full genomic sequence.

"I discovered that they (the Chinese) have great technologies like the DNA nanoballs sequencing and also the cyclone sequencing machine, and those are some of the technologies that will really help us in Africa enhance DNA sequencing," Marcel said.

Although the laboratory machines were new to him, Marcel said the automated Chinese sequencing technology would allow African laboratories to detect pathogens far more quickly and reduce many manual steps, enabling near real-time analysis within minutes.

Precious Simushi, a biomedical scientist at the Zambia National Public Health Institute, speaks to Xinhua in a laboratory in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia's capital, Nov. 20, 2025. (Photo by Michael Tewelde/Xinhua)

Precious Simushi, a biomedical scientist at the Zambia National Public Health Institute, said the training offered crucial insights into biosafety and Chinese surveillance systems. She was particularly drawn to a session on phages, which can be used to treat bacterial infections that no longer respond to antimicrobial medicines.

"In an era where there is an increase in antimicrobial resistance, phage therapy has come in very handy. We have been taught how to use other means than the usual antibiotics to handle these antimicrobial resistances through phage therapy," Simushi said.

She added that automated extraction technology introduced by Chinese experts would allow African health experts to isolate bacteriophages in less than 20 minutes, allowing a much faster response during outbreaks.

"Having this technology in hand will mean that we'll be able to actually detect and respond quickly and be able to contain any outbreak that comes our way," said Simushi.

A Chinese trainer communicates with African experts in a laboratory in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia's capital, Nov. 20, 2025. (Photo by Michael Tewelde/Xinhua)

Highlighting the rising number of drug-resistant diseases in Africa, Idrissa Laybohr Kamara, a doctor from Sierra Leone, said the new phage therapy introduced by Chinese experts would significantly help treat those diseases, including tuberculosis, which are becoming increasingly widespread in Africa.

"In fact, this is the first time I've heard of phage therapy, which is a new technology and a treatment. It is very important that it can solve the problem of antibiotic resistance in Africa," Kamara said, who finished his master's and PhD studies in China.

"We have brought several advanced technologies, including DNA sequencing and antibiotic treatment that will help African health professionals deal with drug-resistant disease," said Liu Wenfeng, a Chinese trainer and researcher at BGI Group.

The workshop, which concludes on Sunday, has drawn 30 participants from 16 African countries, focusing on core laboratory skills, accurate pathogen detection, drug-resistance monitoring and analysis, and standardized laboratory quality management.