Expanding Research Capacity in Sub-Saharan Africa Through Informatics, Bioinformatics, and Data Science Training Programs in Mali

Conclusion Bioinformatics and data science training programs in developing countries necessitate incremental and collaborative strategies for their feasible and sustainable development. The progress described here covered decades of collaborative efforts centered on training and research on computationally intensive topics. These efforts laid the groundwork and platforms conducive for hosting a bioinformatics and data science training program in Mali. Training programs are perhaps best facilitated through Africa’s university systems as they are perhaps best positioned to maintain core resources during lapses in short-term funding. While bioinformatics and data science training programs are rapidly growing across Africa, much of the continent currently lacks substantial commercial investment and is reliant on short-term funding for training and research efforts. It is therefore critical to incentivize, commercial and governmental investment within African countries to complement short-term funding efforts. It is also of central importance to publish literature on scientific training programs to monitor and evaluate progress, develop standards, and share training approaches and experiences. Author Contributions JGS conceived and drafted the manuscript which was reviewed and approved by all authors. JGS, FM, MW, CT, JL, OT, SKS, DK, and SD participated in study design. JGS, FM, JL, SKS, OT, MW, DK, JJL, MD, MS, DD, MT, YK, AAD, ST, BD, MC, OK, YL, and SD assisted in ca...
Source: Frontiers in Genetics - Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Source Type: research