A group of funders led by Wellcome have commissioned, through an open competitive process, an African-led team to design an ambitious initiative.
The team will plan a network of large longitudinal population studies – studies which track the health of a large group of people over time – across Africa that builds on existing infrastructure and capacity and creates resources where gaps are evident.
This initiative, provisionally named the African Population Cohort Consortium (APCC), will inform Africa’s specific health needs and will enable the next phase of scientific discovery utilising African diversity for global health benefit. A team co-led by Kobus Herbst and JP Ochieng’-Odero is embarking on an 18-month adventure that will galvanise expertise across the continent. They will design what the APCC will look like and what it will deliver, supported by the power of the largest population data initiative in Africa to date.
"Our vision is to harness the huge opportunity of population cohorts and diversity in Africa to champion new and innovative multidisciplinary engagement and research for positive impact on the health and wellbeing of communities in Africa."
Kobus Herbst and JP Ochieng’-Odero, co-leads of the Collaboration for the Establishment of an African Population Cohort Consortium
