UGR-PAGRA is a partnership project within an ambitious, Roche-funded pan-African collaboration bringing together African researchers, governments, non-profit organisations, multilateral bodies, and the private sector to accelerate genomic research across the continent within the African Network of Genomic Centers of Excellence (GenCoE). The programme recognises that a comprehensive understanding of African genomic diversity is essential to advancing scientific discovery and improving health outcomes for populations in Africa and globally.
Despite Africa’s unparalleled genetic diversity, limited representation in genomic datasets has constrained the translation of genomics into effective disease detection, treatment, and prevention strategies. The PAGRA initiative aims to address this gap by generating high-quality genomic and phenotypic data from 25,000 individuals across Africa. Within this effort, UGR-PAGRA contributes 3,000 well-characterised Ugandan samples, enriched with detailed cardiometabolic traits, providing a critical resource for understanding the genetic architecture of cardiometabolic diseases in African populations.