The need to strengthen laboratory leadership, systems, and networks to enhance outbreak detection and resilience in Africa: proceedings of a regional workshop

Africa bears a disproportionate burden of infectious disease outbreaks and antimicrobial resistance, compounded by weaknesses in public health laboratory systems. In line with its mandate to safeguard public health, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) supports its Member States in strengthening public health laboratory capacity. However, gaps in laboratory leadership continue to threaten the resilience and sustainability of these systems. To address this need, Africa CDC convened a Laboratory Leadership Workshop under the Africa Pathogen Genomics Initiative (Africa PGI) - DETECT Project from 27-29 August 2025 in Mombasa, Kenya. The meeting brought together 24 heads of public health and reference laboratories and senior technical experts from 15 Member States. Combining expert presentations, country case studies, and roundtable discussions, participants examined system-level challenges affecting laboratory performance. Workshop proceedings were synthesized according to the predefined thematic areas that guided the workshop discussions, drawing on rapporteurs' reports and validated through participant review. Key issues included overreliance on external funding, fragile procurement and supply chains, limited equipment servicing, weak sample referral networks, fragmented data systems, and inadequate contingency planning. Comparative country experiences showed that stronger domestic financing and institutionalized leadership structures were linked to greater operational continuity. Emerging innovations such as hybrid decentralization of diagnostic services and integrated sample referral networks were discussed, with success contingent on strengthened leadership in strategic planning, resource mobilization, and cross-sector coordination. The workshop identified cross-cutting priorities, including financial independence, sustainable equipment servicing, quality management, One Health-aligned digital interoperability, and leadership networks for building resilient systems. The meeting concluded that beyond infrastructure, Africa's epidemic preparedness depends on empowered and committed leaders capable of overcoming challenges to steer resilient and sustainable laboratory systems.