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About AIBBC

Biomedical and biotechnology fields are key to healthcare technology innovation, and hence, crucial to the realization of the ONE HEALTH agenda. However, Africa faces an acute shortage of biomedical scientists, engineers, and biotechnologists, partly because only a handful of African countries have institutions of higher learning offering education and training programs in these fields, and the few who get trained are mainly engaged in maintenance, sales, or procurement of imported medical devices, with few in the research front.  This poses a serious challenge to the development of biomedical entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystem critical to developing home-grown health technologies and solutions to support the fragile healthcare systems in Africa. In fact, lack of training and education in biomedical and biotechnology fields continue to undermine the continent’s innovative capacity, knowledge uptake, and utilization of scientific knowledge and technology in the continent. Thus, there is an urgent need to establish a multistakeholder approach to support training and research capacity development in biomedical engineering and biotechnology in Africa. This will have immediate and long-term implications for the provision of quality healthcare in the continent.

The Africa International Biotechnology and Biomedical Conference (AIBBC) was founded by likeminded scientists, academicians, engineers, researchers and educationists with a common interest of promoting research training and education in the fields of biomedical and biotechnology in Africa. The organization draws its membership from universities and research organizations in Africa.

Organized since 2014 (see below for past activities), AIBBC training workshops and conferences have provided opportunities for practical training, knowledge sharing, and accelerating access to the latest technology and scientific advances in health, agriculture, and the environment in Africa. By promoting research capacity development, technological innovation, and fostering international scientific exposure and networking, AIBBC aims to create a pool of competent healthcare providers, educators, and public policy makers with the prerequisite expertise to drive forward the ONE HEALTH agenda in Africa. To this end, AIBBC has initiated pioneering biomedical/biotechnology training and education programs under the AIBBC workshops, and established biennial AIBBC conferences which have become unparalleled international platforms for research sharing and exchange in the continent. Cumulatively over 1,000 students, faculty and medical practitioners from different countries in Africa have undertaken hands-on training in advanced biomedical technologies organized by AIBBC. Indeed, by offering premier platforms for research training and scientific exchanges in biomedical and medical biotechnology fields in Africa, AIBBC has generated a lot of interest in research and innovations in these crucial fields and created networking opportunities that have contributed to research collaboration among institutions within and without Africa.

Objectives and goals of AIBBC

AIBBC aims to provide a platform for promoting knowledge sharing, interaction and networking among researchers from different research and geographical backgrounds who share a common passion for finding scientific solutions to global problems in health, food and environment, especially in resource limited regions particularly Africa.

Specific aims of AIBBC are:

  • Create opportunities for African scientists and students to network with and build collaboration with researchers from different countries across the globe;
  • Inspire and promote scientific capacity building in African countries through training and mentorship of young scientists and students by leading scientists.

Past activities

  • 5th AIBBC (AIBBC 2021), Nov. 8-12, Kisumu, KENYA (Approx. 300 participants)
    Workshops and Conference venue (both onsite and online): Maseno University, Kisumu, Kenya
  • 2020 AIBBC Online Conference and Training in the COVID-19 Era (Approx. 250 participants)
    Workshops and conference held online (Nov. 5-6th, 2020, ONLINE)
  • 4th AIBBC (AIBBC 2019) , Aug. 26-30, 2019 (Approx. 235 participants)
    Workshops venue: Institute of Primate Research, Nairobi, Kenya
    Conference venue: PrideInn Paradise Convention Centre, Mombasa, Kenya
  • AIBBC workshops 2018
    Venue: Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture & Technology (JKUAT), Juja, Kenya
  • 3rd AIBBC (AIBBC 2017) , Sep. 12-15, 2017, KENYA (Approx. 189 participants)
    Workshops and Conference venue: Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture & Technology (JKUAT), Juja, Kenya
  • 2nd AIBBC (AIBBC 2015) , SEP. 17-19, 2015, KENYA (Approx. 95 participants)
    Conference venue:, African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC) , Nairobi, Kenya
  • 1st AIBBC (AIBBC 2014) , Sep. 10-11, 2014, KENYA (Approx. 150 participants)
    Conference venue:, Safari Park Hotel, Nairobi

Organizing Committee

  Honorary Chairman

  Dr. Hideki Kambara, Emeritus Fellow, Hitachi Ltd., Japan
  President, Frontier Biosciences Inc. Japan

  General Chair

  Prof. Collins Ouma, Professor, Maseno University, Kenya

  Chief Organizers

  • Dr. Eddy O. Odari, Senior Lecturer, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT), Kenya
  • Dr. Lucy Ochola, Senior Scientist, Institute of Primate Research (IPR), Kenya
  • Dr. Kennedy O. Okeyo, Senior Lecturer, Kyoto University, Japan
  • Prof. Paul Robinson, Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Purdue University, USA

Organizing Committee Members

NAME AFFILIATION
Prof. J Paul Robinson Purdue University, USA  
Prof. Collins Ouma Maseno University, Kenya 
Dr. Benson Nyambega  Maseno University, Kenya
Dr. Eddy Odari Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT), Kenya
Dr. Stephen Ger Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT), Kenya
Dr. Celestine Makobe Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT), Kenya
Dr. Josiah Kuja Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT), Kenya
Dr. Lucy Ochola  Institute of Primate Research, Kenya  
Ms. Dawn Maranga  Institute of Primate Research (IPR), Kenya
Dr. Jesse Gitaka Mount Kenya University, Kenya
Dr. Winnie Okeyo Biotechnology Research Institute, KALRO, Kenya
Dr. Stephen K. Kanyiva Japan
Dr. Kennedy Okeyo Purdue University., USA
Dr. Koichi Watanabe  Hitachi., Japan  
Dr. Hiroko Hanzawa Hitachi Ltd., Japan  
Prof. Aman Russom KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden 
Prof. Masood Kamali-Moghaddam Uppsala University, Sweden 

Advisory Committee Members

NAME AFFILIATION
Dr. Hideki Kambara Hitachi Ltd. Japan (Fellow Emeritus, AIBBC Honorary Chair)
Prof. Hidetoshi Kotera RIKEN, Japan 
Prof. Masao Washizu The University of Tokyo, Japan (Professor emeritus)
Prof. Taiji Adachi Kyoto University Japan 
Prof. Tatsuro Irimura   Juntendo University, Japan 
Prof. Kazuma Mawatari   The University of Tokyo, Japan 
Prof. Mary Abukutsa Onyango Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT)  
Prof. Walter Jaoko  University of Nairobi, Kenya  
Dr. Julius Oyugi University of Nairobi, Kenya 
Prof. Gunturu Revathi Aga Khan University Hospital, Kenya 
Prof. Evans C. Egwim  Federal University of Technology, Minna, Nigeria
 Dr. Shinji Nishimura  Hitachi Ltd., Japan
Dr. Shinji Yamada Hitachi, Ltd., Japan
Dr. Shizu Takeda Hitachi Ltd. Japan
Mr. Kenko Uchida RIGAKU Ltd., Japan
MD. Shintaro Shokoku Shokoku Shintaro Clinic, Japan 
Dr. El-ad David Amir Astrolabe Diagnotics, Inc. USA

Partner Organizations

  • Maseno University, Kenya
  • Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT), Kenya
  • Institute of Primate Research (IPR), Kenya
  • Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO, Kenya)
  • National Council for Science and Technology of Kenya (NACOSTI, Kenya)
  • Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, JSPS, Japan
  • Cytometry for Life Foundation, USA
  • The Society for Single-Cell Surveyor, Japan

Africa International Biotechnology and Biomedical Conference