The WANIDA Symposium program

The WANIDA research network of excellence organized its first Hybrid Symposium from March 8 to 10, 2023 in Accra, Ghana on the theme: "INFECTIOUS DISEASES IN THE ERA OF GLOBAL CHANGE: INNOVATIVE MULTIDISCIPLINARY PANAFRICAN EFFORTS TO BUILD CAPACITY IN AFRICA".

THE PROGRAM :

^8th march 2023
THE AFRICAN HEALTH CHALLENGES
WACCBIP - Conference Room
Main Entrance in front of St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church, Volta Road, Accra (within the University of Ghana, Legon Campus)

9h to 10h: Opening Ceremony

• Master of ceremony: Prof. Gordon AWANDARE FGA, ProVC ASA UG, Director WACCBIP
• Opening remarks: Prof. Gordon AWANDARE FGA, Pro Vice-Chancellor, Academic and Student Affairs (ASA), University of Ghana, Director WACCBIP, Chairperson WANIDA
• Chair person: Prof. Nana Aba AMFO Vice-Chancellor, University of Ghana
• Guest of Honour : Dr. Patrick KUMA-ABOAGYE, Director General, Ghana Health Service 
• Guest of honor: Prof. Oyewole OLUSOLA, Association of African Universities (AAU)
• Stakeholders:
• Ekua BENTIL, Senior Education Specialist, World Bank (TBC) 
• Jules Armand ANIAMBOSSOU, Ambassador of France in Ghana, represented by Florent ENGELMANN Jean Hugues DE FONT REAULX, Deputy director, Agence Française de Développement (AFD)
• Keynote speaker : Dr. Patrick DUFFY, Chief, Laboratory of Malaria Immunology and Vaccinology; Chief, Vaccine Development Unit; Chief, Pathogenesis and Immunity Section, National Institute of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD

10 a.m.: Family picture and Poster Session

11h to 13h: Emerging Health Challenges and Building Surveillance systems within the One Health
Framework

Session Chair: Dr. Gloria AMEGATCHER
11:00 a.m. to 11:20 a.m. / Plenary 1
Dr. Isah Abubakar ALIYU, Africa Center of Excellence for Population Health and Policy (ACEPHAP), Bayero University Kano, Nigeria
Tracking SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Nigeria to Guide Public Health Intervention

11:20 AM to 11:40 AM / Plenary 2
Prof. Ousmane KOITA, Director, Laboratory of Applied Molecular Biology (LBMA), University of Sciences, Techniques, and Technologies of Bamako, Mali
COVID-19 Pandemic: Surveillance and Monitoring of SARS-CoV-2 in a Network of Diagnostic Laboratories in Mali

11:40 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. / Plenary Session 3
Dr. Issa DIARRA, Laboratory of Applied Molecular Biology, Mali
Circulating Emerging Viruses: Zika, Chikungunya, and Onyong-nyong Virus Seroprevalence Study in Mali

Session Chair: Dr. Jacques KPODONOU
12:00 PM to 12:20 PM / Plenary 4
Dr. Firmin KRA, Socio-anthropologist, Robert Koch Institute, UNESCO Chair in Bioethics/Alassane Ouattara University, Ivory Coast
& Prof. Alice DESCLAUX, MD, PhD, Medical Anthropologist, DR TransVIHMI (University of Montpellier, French National Institute of Health and Medical Research (INSERM), French National Research Institute for Sustainable Development (IRD)
How to prepare for addressing the social dimensions of pandemics? A training initiative

12:20–1:00 p.m. / Roundtable 1
Emerging Health Challenges and Building Surveillance Systems within the One Health Framework
Moderator: Jacques Kpodonu, MD, FACC, Cardiac Surgeon at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Assistant Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School
– Dr. Joseph Oliver COMMEY, Acting Director, Ghana Infectious Disease Centre (GIDC)
– Dr. Janeth George LAUREAN, Postdoctoral Fellow, SACIDS Foundation for One Health-Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA), Tanzania
– Dr. Benedicta Ayiedu MENSAH, Research Fellow / Quality Manager, Department of Epidemiology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana
– OnlineProf. Onikepe FOLARIN, Deputy Center Leader, ACEGID, Redeemer’s University, Nigeria; WANIDA partner

14h30 - 16h10 Strategies for vector-borne disease control and elimination

Session Chair: Dr. Peter QUASHIE
2:30 PM – 3:10 PM / Keynote speaker:
Dr. Claude OEUVRAY, Head of Global Health Development Program (Malaria), Merck, Germany
Insights on Merck Global Health’s integrated innovation and partnership strategy as a way to transfer decision-making to African stakeholders
& Delalih MANTEAU, Project Manager, Merck Global Health Institute Insights on Merck Global Health’s integrated innovation and partnership strategy as a way to transfer decision-making to African stakeholders

3:10 PM – 3:30 PM / Plenary Session 5Online
Dr. Claudia DEMARTA, Global Health Scientist, Merck, Germany
The value of P. falciparum field isolates for prioritizing drug combinations to reduce the risks of malaria drug development: the case of Cabamiquine (M5717) – Pyronaridine

3:30 PM – 3:50 PM / Plenary 6Online
Dr. Fredy Brice SIMO NEMG, Postdoctoral Fellow, Center for Research in Infectious Diseases, Department of Biochemistry, University of Yaoundé 1, Cameroon (TBC)
Clinical, Biochemical, and Virological Study of the Co-circulation of Plasmodium, SARS-CoV-2, Dengue, and Chikungunya in Febrile Patients in Two Hospitals in Yaoundé VI

3:50 PM – 4:10 PM / Plenary Session 7
Dr. Etienne BILGO, Senior Postdoctoral Researcher, ARISE grantee, Wellcome Trust Fellow, Institute for Health Sciences Research (IRSS), CEA/ITECH-MTV, Burkina Faso
Wolbachia-conferred protection of African Ae. aegypti against the entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium pingshaense

16h15 University of Ghana guided tour (optional)

20h WANIDA Symposium Gala Diner at the Fiesta Royale Hotel (on invitation)

^9th march 2023
PAN AFRICAN RESPONSES TO HEALTH CRISES
FIESTA ROYALE HOTEL - CEDAR Conference Room
George Walker Bush Highway, North Dzorwulu, Accra, Ghana

9h to 12h30: Success Stories in response to past and emerging infectious diseases

Session Chair: Sylvie BOYER, Aix-Marseille University/IRD
9:00 a.m. – 9:10 a.m.
Prof. Nicaise NDAM, Research Director, IRD; Adjunct Professor, University of Ghana; Scientific Advisor, WANIDA; IRD Regional Representative for Benin, Nigeria, Togo, and Ghana

9:10 AM – 9:50 AM / Keynote SpeakerOnline
Dr. Yaw BEDIAKO, CEO of Yemaachi Biotechnology, Ghana

9:50–10:10 a.m. / Plenary Session 8
Dr. Peter Kojo QUASHIE, Deputy Director of Research, WACCBIP, University of Ghana
The Silver Lining: The Evolution of SARS-CoV-2 Research at WACCBIP

10:10 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. / Plenary Session 9
Umar YUNUSA, RN, MSc, FWACN, Lecturer, Department of Nursing Sciences, Bayero University Kano, African Center of Excellence in Population Health and Policy (ACEPHAP), Bayero University Kano, Nigeria (TBC)
Effect of Mobile Phone Text Message and Call Reminders on the Completeness of Routine Childhood Immunization in Kano State, Nigeria

Coffee break and Poster Session

Session Chair: Peter Kojo QUASHIE
11:00 AM – 11:15 AM / Oral Presentation 1, Room 1
Kesego TAPELA, PhD student, West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens (WACCBIP), Department of Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology, University of Ghana (WANIDA fellow)
Deciphering the Cellular Immune Response to SARS-CoV-2 and its Link to Malaria Exposure in Ghanaian COVID-19 Patients
And in parallel
Oral 6 Room 2:
Idrissa DIENG, Institut Pasteur de Dakar
Deployment of a portable laboratory based on Recombinase Polymerase Amplification (RPA) in low-income settings reveals the circulation of Dengue virus serotype 1 of Asian origin in Senegal

11:15–11:30 a.m. / Oral 2, Room 1 Online
Francine Berlange SADO YOUSSEU, PhD student, Center for Research in Infectious Diseases, Cameroon
Seroprevalence of Rift Valley fever virus in domestic ruminants in Cameroon
And in parallel
Oral 7 Room 2
Djèlili BIAOU, PhD Student, IRD University of Paris Cité
Influence of schistosome hybrids on the modulation of the antibody response directed against Plasmodium falciparum vaccine candidate antigens

11:30 AM – 11:45 AM / Oral Presentation 3, Room 1
Priya GODARA Online, PhD student, Central University of Rajasthan, India (TBC)
A rational approach for designing peptide-ligand conjugate-based immunotherapy against complicated malaria
And in parallel
Oral 8 Room 2
Franklin Yengdem NUOKPEM, PhD student, West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens (WACCBIP), Department of Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology, University of Ghana
Sequence, structure, and antibody profile of the circumsporozoite protein from three Plasmodium species

Session Chair: Dr. Mariama Sadjo DIALLO
11:45 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. / Oral 4, Room 1
Umar SAIDU, Master’s student, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria
Cell-based screening of Merck KGaA’s open global health library to identify new drug candidates for the treatment of schistosomiasis
And in parallel
Oral 9 Room 2
Edem ADIKA, Master’s student, WACCBIP, University of Ghana
Molecular Determinants of Plasmodium falciparum Antimalarial Drug Tolerance in Ghana

12:00 PM – 12:15 PM / Oral 5, Room 1 Online
Abdoulie O. TOURAY, PhD student, McGill University, Canada
Allosteric regulation of repressor-activator protein 1 by PI(3,4,5)P3 controls the on- and off-switching of telomeric expression sites in trypanosomes
And in parallel
Oral 10 Room 2
Fatoumata SECK, PhD student, CEA/ITECH-MTV, Nazi Boni University, (WANIDA fellow)
Genetic diversity of genes involved in the fertility and vector competency of the major malaria vectors from Sub-Saharan Africa

12:15 PM – 12:30 PM
Presentation by IRCB / CERPAGE, Benin
And in parallel
Oral 11 Room 2
Gabriella ESSUMAN, Master’s student, WACCBIP, University of Ghana
Antileishmanial Activities of Natural and Synthetic Compounds on Leishmania donovani

2:30 - 3:30 pm Three Minute Thesis Challenge

15h30 to 18h: Multi-actors dialogue for a Pan African response to Health crises

Session Chair: Prof. Amidou SAMIE
3:30 PM – 3:50 PM / Plenary 10
Dr. Sonou Dit Balla DIARRA, Ministry of Health, Mali Online
Is annual mass treatment against schistosomiasis and soil-transmitted helminthiasis in Ségou, Mali, justified? Proposals for alternative improvement strategies

3:50 PM – 4:10 PM / Plenary Session 11
Dr. Funmilola ADEFOLALU, Department of Biochemistry, Federal University of Technology, Minna; ACEMFS Nigeria
Evaluation of Culex mosquito susceptibility to organophosphate, organocarbamate, and pyrethroid insecticides in Minna, Niger State

Session Chair: Dr. Mamadou DIALLO
Moderator: Hélène Kirchner, Scientific Coordinator of the Digital Science and Technology Network, INRIA
4:30 PM – 5:10 PM / Roundtable 2: Innovative Technologies in Response to Africa’s Health Challenges
– Dr. Adewoyin OGUNMOLASUYI, Postdoctoral Fellow, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa
– Prof. Daouda MAMA, Director, National Water Institute of Benin (Sustainable Water Management Network/NET-WATER)
– Online Dr. Mouhamadou Lamine BA, AI-based analytical framework for the prevention and monitoring of cardiovascular diseases in Africa—AI4CARDIO project, African Center of Excellence in Mathematics, Computers and ICT (CEA MITIC), Digital Science and Technology Network (DSTN), Senegal
– Eng. Mr. Boladele Matthew AKANLE, Federated Genomics-FEDGEN Project, Covenant Applied Informatics and Communication Africa Center of Excellence (CApIC ACE), Digital Science and Technology Network (DSTN), Nigeria
– Dr. Gaoussou CAMARA, National Medical Information System for Senegal-SIMENS Project, African Center of Excellence in Mathematics, Computers and ICT (CEA MITIC), Digital Science and Technology Network (DSTN), Senegal

5:10 PM – 5:25 PM / Plenary 12 Online
Piyusha MAJUMDAR, Assistant Professor, IIHMR University, Jaipur, India
A Multipronged Review to Identify Implementation Challenges and Evolving Malaria Control Strategies in Tribal Areas in India: From Global Strategies to Local Innovation
And in parallel
Oral 14 Room 2
Fatoumata KASSE, PhD student, Malaria Research and Training Center, Mali (TBC)
Trends of Artemether-Lumefantrine treatment failure during routine consultations at the Dangassa community health center, a Malian village with long-term seasonal malaria transmission

5:25 PM – 5:40 PM / Oral 12, Room 1
, Aminu YUSUF, PhD student, ACENTDFB, Ahmadu Bello University
DNA Vaccine encoding Trypanosoma brucei Major Surface Protease-B induces an IgG response and confers partial protection in immunized BALB/c mice
And in parallel
Oral 15 Room 2
Rejoice EKLI, PhD student, ACEMFS, Federal University of Technology Minna, Nigeria, WANIDA fellow Amoxicillin-resistant Salmonella enterica isolates from ready-to-eat (RTE) meats and their environments in Accra, Ghana

5:40 PM – 5:55 PM / Oral 13, Room 1
Achaz-Achim Mawugnon AGOLINOU, PhD student, CEA/ITECH-MTV, IRSS, Nazi Boni University, Burkina Faso
In silico design of a molecular model to study the function of the SIFamide gene in the Anopheles gambiae olfactory system, with a view to genetic control of the vector
And in parallel
Oral 16 Room 2
Peter Yunenui MAHBOU, PhD student, ACENTDFB, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria (WANIDA fellow) Seroprevalence of Dengue Virus and Co-infection with Malaria and Typhoid in Pyretic Patients in Some Hospitals in Cameroon

^10th march 2023
AFRICAN RESEARCH NETWORKS OF EXCELLENCE:
ADDRESSING THE HEALTH CHALLENGES IN AFRICA
FIESTA ROYALE HOTEL - CEDAR Conference Room
George Walker Bush Highway, North Dzorwulu, Accra

9h - 13h15: Innovation to promote African research and valorization of research

Session Chair: Prof. Nicaise NDAM
9:00 a.m. – 9:40 a.m. Keynote speaker
: Prof. Jean LANGHORNE, Principal Group Leader, The Francis Crick Institute; Director, Crick African Network
The Crick Africa Network: supporting the next generation of African science leaders

9:40–9:50 a.m. / Presentation of the PASTEUR Network by Prof. Yap BOUM II, Executive Director, Institut Pasteur de Bangui, Central African Republic
9:50 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. / Presentation of Global Africa by Prof. Mame Penda BA, Chief Editor
10:00 a.m. – 10:15 a.m. / Presentation on CERMES, Niger by Dr. Ronan JAMBOU, Director of the Center for Medical and Health Research (CERMES), Niger
10:15 AM – 11:00 AM / Networking & Poster session in Room KUSIA

Session Chair: Dr. Isah Abubakar ALIYU
11:00 AM – 11:15 AM / Oral 17 Room 1 Online
Moctar CHAIBOU, Researcher, Organic Synthesis and Natural Products Laboratory (LASNASO), Faculty of Science and Technology, Abdou Moumouni University, Niger
Anthelmintic evaluation and phytochemical exploration of Chrozophora brocchiana (Euphorbiaceae), a plant used as an antiparasitic agent in Niger, based on molecular networking enhanced (MolNetEnhancer) guided dereplication
And in parallel
Oral 22 Room 2
Christine MOORE, PhD student, West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens (WACCBIP), Department of Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology, University of Ghana
Antileishmanial effects and mode of action of phenolic compounds and Glucantime combinations on Leishmania donovani

11:15 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. / Plenary Session 13
Prof. Amidou SAMIE, Associate Professor, Department of Microbiology, University of Venda, South Africa
Interleukin 10 (IL-10) Production and Seroprevalence of Entamoeba histolytica Infection among HIV-Infected Patients in South Africa
And in parallel
Oral 23 Room 2
John SANDI, PhD student, West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens (WACCBIP), Department of Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology, University of Ghana, (WANIDA fellow)
Evidence of a robust antiviral response in the upper respiratory tract of SARS-CoV-2-infected Ghanaians

11:30 a.m. – 11:45 a.m. / Oral 18, Room 1
Dr. Firmin KRA, Socio-anthropologist, Robert Koch Institute, UNESCO Chair in Bioethics/Alassane Ouattara University, Côte d’Ivoire
From preparedness to response: a socio-anthropological contribution from a study of funeral rites in Côte d’Ivoire
And in parallel
Oral 24 Room 2
. Agossi Edwige KPODO, Master’s student, CEA-ITECH-MTV, Nazi Boni University, (WANIDA fellow)
Molecular epidemiology of dengue viruses around endemic foci in the city of Bobo-Dioulasso, in western Burkina Faso

Session Chair: Prof. Iliya Shehu, NDAMS
11:45 AM – 12:00 PM / Oral 19 Room 1
Dr. Aliyu EVUTI HARUNA, PhD student, Africa Center of Excellence for Mycotoxin and Food Safety (ACEMFS), Federal University of Technology, Minna, Nigeria
Seroprevalence and assessment of knowledge, attitudes, and practices among camel handlers regarding brucellosis and the consumption of camel milk and urine in the East Senatorial District of Yobe State, Nigeria
And in parallel
Oral 25 Room 2
Youssouf DIARRA, PhD student, Laboratory of Applied Molecular Biology, University of Sciences, Techniques and Technologies of Bamako, Mali
Malaria Pre-elimination Stage: Use of Universal Coverage with Long-Lasting Insecticidal Nets, Active Case Detection, and Free Treatment of Uncomplicated Malaria with Artemisinin Combination Therapies.

12:15 PM – 12:30 PM / Oral 20 Room 1 Online
Léadisaelle Hosanna LENGUIYA, PhD student, Marien Ngouabi University, Republic of Congo
SARS-CoV-2 infection in pets from COVID-19 positive households in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo
And in parallel
Oral 27 Room 2
Youssouf MFOPIT MOULIOM, PhD student, ACENTDFB, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria (WANIDA fellow)
Characterization of bacteria with potential sialidase activity from the midgut of tsetse flies

12:30–12:45 p.m. / Oral 21, Room 1
: Dr. Ibrahim KARIDIO DIORI, Head of the Platform of Immunology and Hematology, Centre de Recherche Médicale et Sanitaire (CERMES), ARISE Grantee, Niger
Prebiotics: valuable tools for the effective prevention and management of malnutrition and communicable diseases in infants and children

14h to15h20: Insights into Capacity building and resources sharing

Session Chair: Maissa MBAYE
2:00 PM – 2:20 PM / Plenary 14
: David BAUER, The Francis Crick Institute
Platforms for “Real-Time” Virology & Immunity: Lessons from COVID-19 in West London, West Africa, and Beyond

2:20 PM – 2:40 PM / Plenary 15
. Florence KOMURIAN – PRADEL, PhD, Head of the GABRIEL International Research Network, Mérieux Foundation
GABRIEL, an international scientific network dedicated to capacity building in research and surveillance of infectious diseases

2:40 PM – 3:20 PM / Roundtable 3: Scientific Networks: Experience Gained and Lessons Learned
Moderator: Maissa Mbaye, Director, ACE MITIC, Gaston Berger University, Senegal
– Dr. Mariama DIALLO, Deputy Director, CEA-PCMT, Gamal Abdel Nasser University of Conakry, Guinea, WANIDA partner
– Dr. Florence KOMURIAN – PRADEL, Head of the GABRIEL International Research Network, Mérieux Foundation
– Prof. Jean LANGHORNE, Principal Group Leader, The Francis Crick Institute; Director, Crick African Network (CAN)
– Prof. Yap Boum II, Executive Director, Institut Pasteur de Bangui, PASTEUR Network.

Closing ceremony
3:20 PM – 3:50 PM / Award ceremony for the “My 3-Minute Thesis” Challenge & Poster & Oral Presentations
3:50 PM – 4:00 PM / Closing remarks: Prof. Gordon AWANDARE FGA, ProVC ASA UG, Director of WACCBIP

This event will be translated into French and English.
This event will be broadcast by Zoom. To receive the connection link, please register via the following link: https: //my.weezevent.com/wanidasymposium2