Driving Global Health equity and precision medicine through African genomic data

Significant gaps persist despite the progress in raising awareness of genomic diversity and including individuals of African ancestry in genomic research. African populations remain underrepresented in genomic studies despite their deep evolutionary history, demographic diversity, and unique genetic architecture for gene discovery. This underrepresentation constrains the portability of findings from other populations to African settings due to the poor predictive performance of genetic scores. Consequently, it hinders global efforts in translational research, slows the progression of genomic medicine, and worsens health disparities-a missed opportunity for precision medicine globally. However, genuine prioritisation and expansion of genomic data collection from individuals of African ancestry can drive more equitable health solutions that benefit all populations. In this review, we highlight the opportunities presented by African genomic diversity, the urgent need for larger datasets and biobanks with diverse phenotypes from African populations, and recent developments in African genomic research.