Advancing genomic medicine in Nigeria: research progress, clinical translation and policy priorities

Genomic Medicine involves the comprehensive analysis of an individual’s complete DNA set, the genome, to gain insights into the relationship between genes and how they influence diseases and individual responses to treatment modalities. It has created a solid foundation for advancements in precision medicine and understanding complex biological processes. One of the most groundbreaking achievements is the Human Genome Project (HGP), which was launched in October 1990, to generate a complete sequence of the human genome and identify all the genes present in it. This narrative review aims to assess the genomic medicine landscape in Nigeria and examine its prospects in the Nigerian context, including its potential public health impacts. Nigeria has developed an expanding genomic research ecosystem involving pathogen surveillance, human genetics, cancer genomics, pharmacogenomics, bioinformatics and capacity-building initiatives. However, translation into routine clinical and public-health applications remains constrained by limited infrastructure, sustainable domestic financing, specialised workforce capacity, data governance systems, and access to genomic services. International collaborations have substantially contributed to infrastructure and capacity development, but long-term sustainability requires stronger domestic investment and institutionalisation. Due to the numerous potentials of genomic medicine in the management of diseases such as sickle cell disease, stroke, nephrotic syndrome, infectious diseases, cancer, etc., it is important that more funding is provided for research in this field. Favourable policies should also be formulated and implemented to increase genomics training opportunities, improve research participation, and promote local and international collaborations.