Building a Bioinformatics Community in a low resource region (Nigeria): How Open Science, Effective Mentoring and Community support documentation helped
This talk was presented at the University of Manchester Open Research Conference, 9-10 June 2025.
Bioinformatics (the art of using research software to analyze biological data) plays a crucial role in modern life sciences, yet many regions, including Nigeria, face significant challenges in training, collaboration, and resource accessibility. To address these gaps, we launched Bioinformatics Outreach Nigeria, an initiative under the Open Seeds program—a mentorship and training platform by Open Life Science (OLS). Our goal is to foster a sustainable bioinformatics community of practice through open science principles. Before launching the program, we conducted a survey to assess the existing landscape, identifying key barriers to skills, infrastructure, and knowledge-sharing. The results showed that 62.7% of respondents lacked adequate access to resources and training, while 59.4% expressed a strong need for more workshops. In response, we designed and implemented the Open Science for Bioinformaticians workshop, aimed at equipping participants with open science skills to enhance their bioinformatics expertise. Out of 232 applicants, we successfully trained 48 participants. To measure the impact, we conducted pre-and post-training assessments, which highlighted the necessity of long-term community engagement. Recognizing the transformative power of open science, we further refined our approach through our second participation in Open Seeds. This led to the development of foundational resources such as an Open Canvas and Code of Conduct, ensuring an inclusive, transparent, and collaborative network. This initiative not only strengthens bioinformatics capacity in Nigeria but also serves as a scalable model for leveraging open science principles to drive scientific advancement in low-resource settings.
ASSOCIATED LINKS
https://github.com/seunolufemi123/Bioinformatics-Outreach-Nigeria https://we-are-ols.org/openseeds/
