Harnessing Plant Genomics for Africa’s Crops:

ABI Supports Plant Pangenome Workshop

How can genomics help develop crops that are more productive, resilient and suited to Africa’s diverse growing environments? This was at the heart of the Plant Pangenome Workshop, held from 31 August to 4 September at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) in Nairobi, Kenya.

The workshop brought together researchers, plant breeders and bioinformaticians from across Africa and beyond to explore how pangenomics can support the next generation of crop improvement. Rather than relying on a single reference genome, pangenomes capture a broader picture of the genetic diversity found across different varieties and accessions of a crop.

Participants explored the practical foundations of pangenomics, including genome assembly, pangenome construction and the analysis of genomic variation, as well as how these approaches can be applied to breeding.

For African plant breeders, access to these tools and approaches is particularly important. Africa’s crops contain substantial genetic diversity, much of which remains underrepresented in genomic resources. Making this diversity visible and connecting it to traits of importance to farmers can help breeders make more informed decisions about crop improvement.

The African Bioinformatics Institute (ABI) was pleased to support the participation of members of the African Plant Breeders Association (APBA), including early-career researchers and plant breeders. This support enabled participants to engage directly with researchers and bioinformaticians working at the forefront of plant genomics, while strengthening connections between the plant breeding and bioinformatics communities.

The workshop reinforced an important message: advancing crop improvement is not only about generating more genomic data, but about building the skills, resources and collaborations needed to turn that data into practical solutions.

By supporting African researchers to access emerging technologies and scientific networks, ABI is contributing to the development of the expertise needed to harness Africa’s own biological diversity for more resilient and sustainable agriculture.

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