Over the years, ACEGID’s research activities and partnerships have resulted in numerous achievements, with impacts and imprints across the entire spectrum of surveillance, diagnostics, preparedness and response to infectious diseases in Nigeria, and the West African region.

Below are a few of our achievements:

  • Confirmed the first case of Ebola in Nigeria within 48 hours, a singular feat that led to early containment, management and control of the disease in Nigeria.
  • Pioneered real-time sequencing of Ebola virus during the 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa, –pioneered open genomics data access by releasing 99 whole Ebola virus genomes sequenced during the first three weeks of the outbreak in Sierra Leone.
  • Developed FDA and WHO approved under EUA, Ebola virus rapid diagnostic tool (RDT) within 4 months of the 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa.
  • Generated diverse Lassa fever virus whole genome sequence catalog in the world. We generated a genomic catalogue of over 1,000 LASV sequences from clinical and rodent reservoir samples.
  • Discovered of two new Rhabdoviruses (EKV-1 and EKV-2) in Nigeria from a study aiming at characterizing known and unknown pathogens driving Acute Febrile Illness in West Africa
  • Set up in-country genome sequencing capacity in Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Senegal and Liberia.
  • Used real-time microbial metagenomics to uncover a new Yellow fever outbreak in Nigeria.  Thus, enabled a rapid and successful containment of the outbreak by Nigeria CDC.
  • Performed the first SARS-Cov-2 whole genome sequence in Africa within 48 hours of receiving the sample from the Nigeria CDC.
  • COVID-19 testing and genomic sequencing: Partnering with Africa CDC and Nigeria CDC for pandemic response.
  • Developed and piloted SHERLOCK diagnostic – a CRISPR-based 30 mins POC diagnostic for a wide-range of viruses (including Lassa fever virus and SARS-Cov-2) on a paper strip.
  • Trained over 1000 local and regional scientists in genomics-based tools for infectious diseases diagnosis and surveillance, many of which are leading national pandemic responses in various African countries.
  • ACEGID was made a WHO and Africa CDC Specialized Regional Reference Sequencing Laboratory for Covid-19 and other emerging pathogens
  • Developed a Covid-19 vaccine candidate, which has successfully passed preclinical trials. Work is ongoing to secure funds for clinical trials of the vaccine on humans.
  • Trained more than 100 scientists from over 30 African countries on Next Generation Sequencing of SARS-CoV-2. This is enhancing real-time surveillance across the continent.