AFENET joins launch of African laboratories excellence consortium at Africa health Excon 2025

🌍 Cairo, Egypt – June 27, 2025
At the Africa Health ExCon 2025, held at the Egypt International Exhibition Center in Cairo, AFENET Director Dr. Simon Antara joined a distinguished group of public health leaders to launch the African Laboratories Excellence Consortium (AFRO-EXCON) — a landmark partnership aimed at transforming laboratory systems and diagnostic capacity across Africa.

The signing ceremony took place on the sidelines of Africa’s premier platform for health innovation and trade, which ran from June 24–27, 2025, bringing together policymakers, scientists, industry leaders, and health experts from across the continent and beyond.

“This Consortium represents a bold step forward in advancing quality, innovation, and excellence in laboratory systems across Africa,” said Dr. Antara. “Strong laboratory infrastructure is the backbone of resilient health systems and effective disease surveillance.”

A Founding Alliance for Quality and Innovation

AFRO-EXCON brings together six leading institutions as founding members:

• African Field Epidemiology Network (AFENET)
• African Society for Laboratory Medicine (ASLM)
• African Federation of Clinical Chemistry (AFCC)
• Egyptian Accreditation Council (EGAC)
• Egyptian Clinical Pathology Alliance (ECPA)
• Egyptian Medical Syndicate

Together, these organizations will champion regional collaboration, standard-setting, capacity building, and knowledge exchange to improve diagnostic services and support evidence-based public health interventions across Africa.

Strengthening Health Security Through Laboratory Excellence

The establishment of AFRO-EXCON comes at a critical time when the need for reliable, high-quality laboratory services is more urgent than ever. From infectious disease outbreaks to the rise of non-communicable diseases, laboratories play a central role in enabling timely diagnosis, guiding treatment decisions, and supporting outbreak response.

By pooling expertise and harmonizing standards, the Consortium aims to:

• Advance laboratory accreditation and quality assurance systems
• Foster training and professional development of laboratory personnel
• Support innovation and technology adoption in diagnostics
• Strengthen laboratory networks for better preparedness and response

🎥 Watch the AFRO-EXCON launch moment here:
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AFENET is proud to be part of this transformative initiative that aligns with its broader mission of strengthening public health systems in Africa through workforce development, laboratory strengthening, and field epidemiology.