Wafaa M Rashed, Chair and Founder of Pan – African PGS Education and Research Initiative (PAPERI), shared on LinkedIn:
“Genomics in Africa needs more than scientific innovation – it needs African voices shaping the policies that govern it.
I am delighted to highlight another thoughtful and timely contribution by Mr. Mutaz M. Abdallah (Sudan), whose continued writing is helping advance an important conversation: how do we ensure that genomics and reproductive health policies in Africa are designed for Africans, by Africans?
His latest blog, ‘Genomics in Reproductive Health: Are Our Policies Ready?’, addresses a critical reality: science is moving faster than policy.
From carrier screening and prenatal testing to IVF, preimplantation genetic testing, genomic data, and the emerging questions around heritable genome editing, reproductive genomics is opening extraordinary possibilities – but also raising profound questions about privacy, consent, equity, cross-border care, data governance and the rights of future generations.
What I particularly appreciate about Mutaz’s work is that it moves beyond simply celebrating scientific progress. It asks the harder question:
Are our policies keeping pace with the science – and, more importantly, are they protecting the people and communities they are meant to serve?
His emphasis on portable genomic records, meaningful informed consent, responsible data governance, transparency in genetic testing, regulation of clinical claims, and the inclusion of affected communities offers a practical policy agenda that deserves serious attention across Africa.
And there is a message here that extends beyond reproductive genomics.
Africa should not merely be a consumer of genomic technologies, policies and frameworks developed elsewhere.
We need to be active contributors – generating evidence, developing context-specific governance frameworks, building regulatory capacity, and ensuring that African values, realities and priorities are reflected in the future of genomics.
This is why I deeply appreciate the continuous writings of Mr. Mutaz.
Contributions like these help build something Africa urgently needs: a strong culture of African-led policy advocacy in genetics and genomics.
Thank you, Mutaz, for continuing to write, question, advocate and contribute to this important journey.
And sincere appreciation to PAPERI – Pan-African PGS Education and Research Initiative for creating platforms that empower African professionals to engage not only with the science of genomics, but also with the policy, ethics and governance that will determine its impact on our continent.
Genomics for Africa must ultimately be shaped by Africans – informed by science, grounded in ethics, and driven by equity.
Science may be global, but responsible genomic policy must also be locally informed, context-sensitive and African-led.”
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