The Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR) is partnering the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to train eight healthcare professionals from six African countries in modern laboratory technology to strengthen the fight against infectious diseases across the region.
The trainees are from Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Togo and Zambia.
The programme is being run under the College of Health Sciences of the University of Ghana and is designed to improve participants’ skills in infectious disease diagnosis, laboratory management and outbreak response.
The eight-week training is being delivered in two parts: an online module and an in-person laboratory module.
The online phase, made up mainly of lectures, ran from April 20 to May 15, 2026, while the in-person laboratory sessions are scheduled to take place from June 1 to June 26, 2026 at the NMIMR Advanced Research Laboratories in Accra.
Participants are being trained in Foundation, Parasitology, Bacteriology and Virology, with sessions led by experienced scientists from NMIMR and other experts from across Africa.
The in-person component will also cover biosafety, biosecurity and laboratory quality management practices.
According to the organisers, the training is expected to improve the knowledge and practical skills of biomedical scientists in diagnosing infectious diseases and managing laboratory systems.
It is also intended to strengthen the capacity of the participating countries in the areas of detection, treatment and prevention of infectious diseases.
The programme will further allow participants to share best practices and experiences from their home countries while building professional networks for future collaboration.
This year’s training is the sixth edition since 2019.
NMIMR and JICA say previous editions have already produced important results. Between 2019 and 2023, a total of 72 professionals were trained, and many of them later played key roles in their countries’ responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in surveillance, sample collection, RNA extraction and testing.
The organisers say the latest training comes at a critical time as West Africa faces growing threats from infectious diseases such as Marburg, Mpox, Hanta Virus, Lassa Fever and Ebola.
They believe the programme will help ensure that laboratory and research staff across the region have the expertise needed to detect and support the containment of such diseases more effectively.
NMIMR and JICA say they remain committed to promoting world-class biomedical research and stronger health capacity development in Ghana and across Africa.
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