Challenges and opportunities of developing bioinformatics platforms in Africa: the case of Burkina Bioinfo at Joseph Ki-Zerbo University, Burkina Faso
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Ezechiel B. Tibiri1,*, Palwende R. Boua2,3,4, Issiaka Soulama5, Christine Dubreuil-Tranchant6‡, Ndomassi Tando6‡, Charlotte Tollenaere7, Christophe Brugidou 7, Romaric K. Nanema 8, Fidèle Tiendrébéogo1,9
1Laboratoire de Virologie et de Biotechnologies Végétales, Institut de l’Environnement et de Recherches Agricoles (LVBV/INERA), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique et Technologique (CNRST), 01BP476 Ouaga 01, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
2 Clinical Research Unit of Nanoro, Institut de Recherche en Sciences de la Santé, CNRST,42 Avenue Kumda-Yonré, 218 Ouaga CMS11, Nanoro, Burkina Faso
3 MRC Unit The Gambia, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Atlantic Boulevard, Fajara, POBox273, Banjul, the Gambia
4 Sydney Brenner Institute for Molecular Biosciences (SBIMB), University of the Witwatersrand, The Mount, First Floor, Office109, 9 Jubilee Road, Parktown, Johannesburg, South Africa
5 Institut de Recherche en Sciences de la Santé, Biomedical and Public Health Department, CNRST, Rue 29.13 Wemtenga 03BP 7047, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
6 DIADE, University of Montpellier, CIRAD, IRD, 911 Avenue Agropolis, Montpellier, Cedex 534934, France French Institute of Bioinformatics (IFB) — South Green Bioinformatics Platform, Bioversity, CIRAD, INRAE, IRD, F-34398 Montpellier, France
7 PHIM, Plant Health Institute of Montpellier, Univ. Of Montpellier, IRD, CIRAD, INRAE, Institut Agro, 911 Av. Agropolis, 34394 Montpellier, France
8 Genetic and Plant Breeding Team (EGAP), Biosciences Laboratory, Doctoral School of Science and Technology, Joseph KI-ZERBO University, avenue Pr Yembila Abdoulaye Toguyeni,03 BP7021, Burkina Faso
9 Central and West African Virus Epidemiology (WAVE), Pôle scientifique et d’innovation de Bingerville, Université Félix Houphouët-Boigny (UFHB), Bingerville BP V34 Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire
*Corresponding author. Ezechiel B.Tibiri, Laboratoire de Virologie et de Biotechnologies Végétales, Institut de l’Environnement et de Recherches Agricoles (LVBV/INERA), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique et Technologique (CNRST), 01BP 476 Ouaga01, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. E-mail: ezechiel.tibiri@ujkz.bf
‡Christine Dubreuil-Tranchant and Ndomassi Tando contributed equally to this work.
ABSTRACT
Bioinformatics, an interdisciplinary field combining biology and computer science, enables meaningful information to be extracted from complex biological data. The exponential growth of biological data, driven by high-throughput omics technologies and advanced sequencing methods, requires robust computational resources. Worldwide, bioinformatics skills and computational clusters are essential for managing and analysing large-scale biological data sets across health, agriculture, and environmental science, which are crucial for the African continent. In BurkinaFaso, the establishment of bioinformatics infrastructure has been a gradual process. Initial training initiatives between 2015-2016, including bioinformatics courses and the establishment of the BurkinaBioinfo (BBi) platform, marked significant progress. Over 250 scientists have been trained at diverse levels in bioinformatics, 105 user accounts have been created for high-performance computing access. Operational since 2019, this platform has significantly facilitated training programs for scientists and system administrators in west Africa, covering data production, introductory bioinformatics, phylogenetic analysis,and metagenomics. Financial and technical support from various sources has facilitated the rapid development of the platform to meet the growing need for bioinformatics analysis, particularly in conjunction with local ’wet labs’. Establishing a bioinformatics cluster in Burkina Faso involved identifying the needs of researchers, selecting appropriate hardware and installing the necessary bioinformatics tools. At present, the main challenges for the BBi platform include ongoing staff training in bioinformatics skills and high-level IT infrastructure management in the face of growing infrastructure demands. Despite these challenges, the establishment of a bioinformatics platform in Burkina Faso offers significant opportunities for scientific research and economic development in the country.
