The First African Congress on Sickle Cell Disease(ACSCD) will take place for three days from 31 October – 2 November 2019 at the prestigious Landmark Center, Victoria Island, Lagos, Nigeria.

Globally, and in Africa, the growing burden of sickle cell disease is undeniable. Sickle cell disease (SCD) is one of the world’s most common genetic diseases, affecting an increasing number of people but is still relatively unknown to the wider public. It poses a significant public health problem notably in sub-Sahara Africa, the Middle East, parts of India, the Caribbean, and Brazil.

The impact of SCD on aff ected communities cannot be overstated, it ranges from causing high morbidity and mortality, to reducing the quality of life, and imposing a high socio-economic burden on individuals, families and health systems. Although developments in recent years has seen SCD recognized by both the United Nations (UN) and the WHO as a disease of major and growing importance, it is still considered to be one of the most neglected tropical disease in Africa and the world and remains virtually invisible on the global health agenda. This is largely due to inadequate advocacy, lack of reliable ground data and inadequate political will. Improving on these will require local and international partnerships and cross-border collaborations between SCD experts, funding/donor agencies, governments and industry.

Presently, there is little to no mechanism anywhere in Africa and the world for ALL stakeholders – especially those in affected communities, in government and policy development, in implementation, program finance, and in research – to gather, connect and share information and recommendations to collaboratively reach a consensus and to build impact-oriented frameworks for a collective action against sickle cell.

The inaugural African Congress on Sickle Cell Disease aims to address this gap and more.

Objectives

The main objective of this congress is to provide a platform to enhance the understanding of the current state of sickle cell in Africa, the challenges and opportunities building on the experiences of key actors in the Africa region as well as other regions of the world, and to collectively explore and discover innovative approaches and best practices for effective sickle cell control.

The objectives of the congress are:

1. Provide a platform for a wide range of stakeholders to exchange on the current status and future perspectives of SCD
2. Identify ways to raise the profile of SCD as a global health priority and to articulate the essential elements on a continental strategy to increase awareness, resource mobilizing and cross-border partnerships
3. To explore the effects and outcomes of Universal Health Coverage on SCD
4. To promote ways of accelerating the implementation of policies for the attainment of SDG target 3
5. Mobilize a broader base of stakeholders in support of prevention and control measures across Africa and beyond.

The African Congress on Sickle Cell Disease will bring together government representatives, inter-governmental organizations , leaders of industry, civil society, academic institutions, donors, the private sector, media and people living with sickle cell themselves from across Africa and rest of the world with aligned interest in exploring sustainable solutions to the challenges of sickle cell disease and also individuals and organizations who are committed to not just the patient/caregiver experience, but also committed to overcoming sickle cell disease in Africa.

The overall goal of the conference is to facilitate active exchange of information among scientists, researchers, policy makers and other key stakeholders, to highlight challenges and opportunities, and enhance strategies to further sickle cell control.