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Africa currently faces several opportunities and challenges in terms of genomics research. The continent harbors the richest biodiversity to provide fertile ground for harnessing genomics. On the other hand, it bears the heaviest burden of human diseases (both infectious and chronic) and the effects of climate change, pests, and diseases on native crops and livestock. In spite of the challenges, genomics research and the associated products stand to significantly benefit the region. By adopting genomics research, African researchers can tap into the rich continental diversity, embrace personalized medicine as well as establish crops and livestock breeds with desirable traits. These benefits will not come at an easy cost but the continent has an opportunity to learn from middle-income countries such as Mexico and Brazil that embraced the genomic revolution in a timely fashion. Hence the region should search for homegrown solutions, foster mutually beneficial collaboration, and invest substantially in genomics research.

1 International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Nairobi, Kenya, 2 Faculty of Life Sciences, The University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom, 3 Department of Computer and Information Sciences, Covenant University, Ota, Nigeria, 4 Institute of Bioinformatics, Johannes Kepler University, Linz, Austria, 5 Moroccan Society for Bioinformatics Institute, Morocco, 6 South African National Bioinformatics Institute, University of the Western Cape, Bellville, South Africa, 7 University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa, 8 University of Notre Dame, South Bend, Indiana, United States of America, 9 Biotechnology Unit, University of Buea, Buea, South West Region, Cameroon, 10 International Livestock Research Institute, Nairobi, Kenya, 11 Biosciences Eastern and Central Africa, Nairobi, Kenya, 12 International Center of Insect Physiology and Ecology, Nairobi, Kenya, 13 Bioinformatics Organization, Hudson, Massachusetts, United States of America, 14 Bioinformatics Team, Center for Development of Advanced Computing, Pune University Campus, Pune, India, 15 Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America