To strengthen the pre-existing sequencing capacities of our GHPP-partner laboratories in Conakry (Guinea) and Irrua (Nigeria), a joint two-week training on metagenomic sequencing was held in Conakry, Guinea, in June 2023.

Following the successful establishment of two SARS-CoV-2 field sequencing laboratories at the Laboratoire des Fièvres Hemorragiques Virales en Guinée (CRV-LFHVG) in Guinea in 2021, and at the Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital (ISTH) in Nigeria in 2022, the Outbreak Preparedness and Response (OPR) BNITM team continues its long-term program of sequencing capacity reinforcement in our partner laboratories in West Africa. Our project CELESTA, which is part of the new program phase of GHPP (2023-2025), will expand the genomic surveillance capacity for RNA viruses to support the national surveillance system against future epidemics and pandemics.

Taking advantage of the previously established Nigeria-Guinea cooperation, a team from BNITM and four lab scientists from ISTH traveled to CRV-LFHVG in Conakry in June 2023 to conduct a two-week training course. Four laboratory staff from CRV-LFHVG also participated in the training. The main goal was to train local sequencing staff on a new next generation sequencing workflow for metagenomic sequencing, from sample preparation to in-country analysis. During the training the local staff was also introduced to general concepts of virus phylogeny and new bioinformatic analysis tools.