The Communities of Practice (CoP) Working Group will build on the Africa Pathogen Genomics Initiative (Africa PGI) and leverage networks such as PDNA, PHA4GE, The Global Health Network, and the WHO Hub for Pathogen Surveillance, to promote collaboration and knowledge exchange across the consortia, ultimately strengthening genomic surveillance capacity in sub-Saharan Africa.

The CoP’s main objectives include:

• Resource sharing: Providing open access to standardised tools such as SOPs, protocols, surveys, publications, and webinars to ensure consistency across research and health institutions.

• Linkage to capacity building: Promote access to training, workshops, and webinars to strengthen local expertise in bioinformatics, genomic sequencing, and public health data interpretation.

• Best practice exchanges: Facilitating knowledge sharing on successful implementations of genomic surveillance in public health systems.

• Cross-network collaboration: Encouraging partnerships between projects, countries, and institutions to foster a regional approach to pathogen genomics and epidemiology.

• Sustainability: Securing strategic funding and encouraging local leadership to ensure long-term impact and relevance to African public health needs.