Get Guardian on GoogleAcademy of Medical Sciences has called on the Federal Government to integrate precision medicine and clinical genomics into Nigeria’s healthcare system, as part of efforts to strengthen healthcare delivery and tackle the growing burden of non-communicable diseases in the country.
The appeal was contained in a communique issued at the end of its 2026 yearly scientific conference held in Lagos, themed “Genetics and Genomics of Non-Communicable Diseases: Integrating Science into Clinical Care,” which brought together scientific scholars, clinical specialists, policymakers, global research leaders and healthcare practitioners to explore how advances in genetics, genomics, transcriptomics, pharmacogenomics, multi-omics and precision medicine could be harnessed to develop effective strategies for tackling the growing burden of non-communicable diseases in Nigeria.
In the communiqué, signed by the immediate Past President, Emeritus Prof. Osato Frank Giwa-Osagie, and its Secretary, Prof. Mayowa Owolabi, the Academy observed that while Africa holds the highest human genetic diversity globally, its African-ancestry cohorts account for only 1.1 per cent of global Genome-Wide Association Studies (GWAS).
It stressed that this under-representation limits the development of effective diagnostic tools and treatment strategies for African populations, adding that genetic risk models developed largely from Western populations cannot be applied to Africans without appropriate local validation.
According to the Academy, these findings underscore the urgent need for sustained investment in African genomic research to improve the understanding and management of diseases affecting the continent.
It, therefore, advocated an integrated approach to managing Cardio-Renal-Metabolic (CKM) syndrome, which encompasses Type 2 Diabetes, chronic kidney disease and cardiovascular disease.
The Academy, while recommending the establishment of multidisciplinary CKM clinics in tertiary and secondary healthcare institutions, bringing together cardiologists, nephrologists, endocrinologists, primary healthcare physicians, dietitians and clinical pharmacologists, urged the Federal Government to incorporate genetic testing, genetic counselling, pharmacogenomics and targeted therapies into the benefits package of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA).
