The purpose of this proposal is to develop an African, Regional interdisciplinary forum on the ethics, governance, engagement and social acceptability of Genome Editing in Africa. In spite of the discussions on Genomics, most African countries are yet to adequately engage in the critical debate on the regulation and ethics of genome editing. It is pertinent to have collaborative partnerships to focus on prudent research-based advocacy, to ensure truly informed policy decision making on gene editing in Africa. The key goals of this proposal is to disseminate the key outcomes of the 2019 GFBR meeting on” Genome Editing for Human Benefit: Ethics, Engagement and Governance”, and to develop a proposal to take the outcome of this meeting further so as to begin an African oriented discussion on genome editing from the perspective of Africans. There will also be a research paper to be published in a peer-reviewed journal. Also, the focus of this proposal is to have a two-day workshop in Nigeria with key stakeholders from Africa discussing the ethical, governance and engagement issues relevant to Africa in Genome Editing that arose from the Singapore meeting.The meeting will promote collaborations between African Countries on the best practices in Genome Editing

The proportion of persons aged 65 years and over in developing countries is projected to triple in the next 50 years. These societies are also going through major social changes (such as migration, urbanization, and Westernization) that may have considerable impact on the health of elderly people and availability of care to those who are disabled. There is no empirical data on the profile of disability (extent and relationship to socio-demographic features) and the extent of unmet need for care among elderly Nigerians. In a three-stage approach, the proposed study will 1) use ethnographic methods of focus groups and key informants interview to examine the culture norms of care receipt and caregiving and the societal changes affecting the health of the elderly, 2) study the profile of disability, extent of unmet need for care, and the consequences of unmet need for care in a representative sample of elderly persons selected through a multi-stage sampling technique, and 3) examine the impact of caregiving on informal caregivers in a case-control design and the social factors that constitute barriers to caregiving among would-be family caregivers through the use of a semi-structured interview.