By Elizabeth Osayande

In today’s world of precision medicine, genomics and bioinformatics have become cornerstones in health research, drug discovery, and the development of targeted interventions. These fields are revolutionising disease surveillance, pharmacogenomics, and personalised medicine—especially in high-income countries.

However, in many African countries, including Nigeria, the transformative power of bioinformatics remains underutilised due to structural challenges, technical gaps, and the high cost of essential infrastructure.

To address these systemic limitations, Mathew Olakunle Alaba, a leading data Scientist and Bioinformatics researcher with over seven years of experience in Biomedical Data Analysis contributes to bridging the Bioinformatics Gap in Africa: Advancing Nigeria’s Health Research, Biotechnology Innovation, and Workforce Development Through Indigenous Genomic Tools and Mentorship

Excerpts

I founded Data Xpression, a public health and bioinformatics initiative that aims to build local capacity, democratise access to computational biology, and develop low-cost genomic analysis tools tailored to African research environments.

The Bioinformatics Divide: Infrastructure, Cost, and Capacity
The so-called “bioinformatics divide” is not only about access to technology—it is also about skills, affordability, and sustainability. Setting up a functional genomics lab typically requires PCR machines, electrophoresis units, centrifuges, sequencers, and computational servers. In Nigeria, the cost of a single thermal cycler ranges from N500,000 to N1.5 million, excluding other instruments and maintenance expenses.

This barrier led our team at Data Xpression to prototype affordable genomic equipment using locally available materials and open-source platforms. Notably, we developed a low-cost PCR machine and gel electrophoresis box using plywood, aluminium, and repurposed electronics—assembled at the General Electric, GE, Garage in Lagos. These innovations were produced at just N14,000 and ₦80,000, respectively, and achieved performance outputs comparable to global standards such as Bio-Rad and Thermo Fisher. This work was officially presented at the 6th University of Ibadan Conference on Biomedical Research (July 2018), validating the scientific merit of our indigenous approach.

“Building a Pipeline of Local Bioinformatics Talent”

Tackling infrastructure alone is not enough—technical knowledge and mentorship are equally critical. To bridge this skills gap, we launched the Data Xpression Paired Mentorship Program, which connects aspiring African researchers with experienced mentors in key fields such as Molecular Docking & Drug Discovery, Bulk and Single-Cell RNA-seq Analysis, Machine Learning for Omics Data and Health Informatics and Epidemiological Modeling.

We provide cloud-based virtual machines and VMs for trainees to access large datasets and conduct advanced analyses, even with limited hardware. Mentees receive step-by-step guidance from beginner to publication level, along with professional portfolio support and searchable research profiles to increase visibility in the global scientific community.

“Real-World Impact and Scientific Relevance”

Through our integrative approach—combining affordable tools, open-source software, and structured mentorship—we are witnessing the rise of African-led innovation in genomics. To date, Data Xpression has: Trained mentees across 3 African countries (Ghana, Cameroon and Nigeria) within 12 months; Provided open-access support to graduate students working on genomic epidemiology; Facilitated collaborations with diaspora researchers at institutions such as the University of Michigan, Johns Hopkins, and H3ABioNet; and enabled contributions to cutting-edge projects in cancer genomics, epigenetics, and neglected tropical disease research.

This model proves that with local leadership, strategic mentorship, and access to tools, African researchers can compete globally and generate homegrown solutions to regional health challenges.

“A Call for Strategic Investment and Policy Support”

Nigeria stands at a critical juncture in its scientific development. Institutions like the Africa CDC and Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, NCDC are already expanding genomic surveillance units, but there is an urgent need to complement this with indigenous capacity-building. To this end, I call on: Government agencies to fund bioinformatics innovation hubs and integrate them into national health research strategies; Universities and teaching hospitals to embed bioinformatics and data science training in medical and biological science curricula; Private sector partners and tech foundations to support the scaling of open-science infrastructure, including data repositories, wet labs, and high-performance computing clusters; and Diaspora scientists and funding organizations to collaborate with local initiatives like Data Xpression, ensuring that impact is not just global—but also sustainable and localised.

Conclusion:

Africa’s future in health innovation will be shaped by its ability to harness data, computation, and context-specific solutions. By investing in bioinformatics, building local talent pipelines, and developing affordable genomic tools, Nigeria can lead the continent toward a new era of precision public health, biotechnology self-reliance, and data-driven policy-making. At Data Xpression, we are not merely building scientific tools—we are redefining what scientific excellence looks like from an African lens.

More about Mathew Olakunle Alaba:

Alaba holds advanced degrees in Biomedical Engineering (University of South Dakota, USA) and Public Health Biotechnology (University of Ibadan, Nigeria), and a B.Tech. in Biochemistry. He currently serves as a Bioinformatician at the University of Michigan Medical School, contributing to international projects on kidney disease research.

He is also the Founder and Director of Data Xpression, a pan-African initiative bridging the bioinformatics gap through low-cost genomic tools, mentorship, and computational infrastructure for African researchers.