Afro-ACDx brought together 29 participants from 15 French-speaking countries, with contributions from 21 speakers. The course builds on the international English-language ACDx course, held annually in France, and the Global Laboratory Leadership Programme (GLLP). This edition was supported by the Fleming Fund and the RESAOLAB program.
The main objectives of the course are to:
- Strengthen laboratory leadership and management skills,
- Promote the strategic role of diagnostics in human and animal health, particularly in the fight against antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and in epidemic preparedness,
- Encourage regional cooperation between institutions and laboratories.
Over five days, the program alternated between presentations, round tables, group work, experience sharing, and a visit to the Institut Pasteur in Dakar to observe the organization and operation of a laboratory serving public health.
The course included six training sessions led by experts from partner institutions: the World Health Organization (WHO), WHO/AFRO, Africa CDC, FAO, INRB, Institut Pasteur, Université Félix Houphouët-Boigny in Abidjan.
Participants were given the opportunity to discuss the following topics:
- The role of laboratory diagnostics, with a presentation of the GLLP program
- Leadership: self-awareness and motivation
- The key roles and the organization of laboratories
- Long-term programs and actions to combat antimicrobial resistance
- Critical thinking and problem solving in laboratories
- Decision-making and change management
- Access to diagnosis to combat epidemics
- The organizational structure of a laboratory and its stakeholders
- A review of key skills in diagnostic laboratories and governance in Africa to facilitate access to diagnosis
By bringing together stakeholders in human, animal and environmental health, Afro-ACDx reflects a One Health approach, which is essential in addressing the public health challenges facing Francophone Africa.
Completing the course brings these new leaders into the Afro-ACDx alumni network. With this fifth class, the community now consists of over 120 trained, active professionals across French-speaking Africa.
About Afro-ACDx
The idea behind the Afro-ACDx course, launched in 2021, is to improve the leadership skills of laboratory managers and to promote the role and value of medical diagnosis. Afro-ACDx aims to reinforce the local capacity of biomedical analysis laboratories in West and Central Africa through training and the development of partnerships.
The program for the course and the selection of participants are the responsibility of a scientific committee made up of the biggest institutions involved in diagnosis in Africa: the World Health Organization (WHO), WHO/AFRO, Africa CDC, the Global Fund, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH), the French National Biomedical Research Institute (INRB), the Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND), the West African Network of Biomedical Analysis Laboratories (RESAOLAB), and private analysis laboratories in Africa.
Organized annually in Senegal, Afro-ACDx is one of five intensive courses organized by the Mérieux Foundation, alongside ADVAC (advanced course on vaccinology), ACDx (advanced course on diagnostics), AMR: A One Health Challenge (advanced course on antimicrobial resistance) and EpiCourse (advanced course in epidemiology in emergency situations).
