Brief History of African Virologists Network (AVN)
Several virologists were operating on the continent, but there was no united front upon which virology could be showcased. To address this issue, Dr. Sabastine Eugene Arthur spearheaded the regional integration of virologists. At the 2019 American Society for Virology (ASV) conference in Minnesota, USA, the idea gained traction with Mrs. Anna Aba Kafintu-Kwashie, University of Ghana Medical School, Ghana, Dr. Elizabeth Etta of Beckman Coulter Life Sciences, USA, Dr. Kathleen Glover of the University of Manitoba, Canada, and Dr. Christianah Idowu Ayolabi of the University of Lagos, Nigeria. The possibility of organizing an African version of the ASV Conference was discussed as there was low representation from the African continent. Challenges such as visa processing and the high cost of overseas travel perhaps were major hindrances to Africans attending such conferences. Hence, there was a need to organize one with less costly travel requirements while fostering collaboration and networking amongst Africans.
The idea of the African Virology Congress (AVC) began with Sabastine Eugene Arthur, then a PhD candidate at the University of Cambridge, UK. The AVC was scheduled for 25th to 27th of March 2020, to be hosted in Accra, Ghana. However, due to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, the meeting was postponed. Despite this change to the event, the formation of the African Virology Network (AVN), which was supposed to be the outcome of the congress, was re-initiated by Sabastine with the help of Prof. Kwamena Sagoe of the University of Ghana. An interim committee made up of virologists across the continent was formed to oversee the formation of the AVN, which was eventually changed to African Virologists Network.
In August 2021, a decision was made to reschedule the AVC for November 3rd and 4th, 2021. The hybrid meeting was hosted at the Angie Hill Hotel in Accra, Ghana, and via zoom with the theme ‘Advances in Virology: The Role of the African Virologist.’ The core AVC Organizing Committee included Dr. Sabastine Eugene Arthur, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA, Millicent Opoku, and Dr. Evelyn Yayra Bonney, both of the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR), University of Ghana, Ghana, Sylvester Languon, University of Vermont, USA, Anna Aba Kafintu-Kwashie, University of Ghana Medical School, Ghana, Prof. Maryam Aminu, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria, Dr. Gilbert Nchongboh Chofong, Julius Kühn-Institut, Germany, Dr. Bernard Anyebe Onoja, University of Ibadan, Nigeria, Dr. Belayneh Getachew, National Veterinary Institute, Ethiopia, Dr. Abdelaziz Yassin, Veterinary Serum and Vaccine Research Institute, Egypt, and Dr. Elizabeth Etta, Beckman Coulter Life Sciences, USA. Other individuals from the continent supported the organizers to achieve a successful event.
The AVC received sponsorship from the Cambridge-Africa Program and was supported by the West Africa Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens (WACCBIP) at the University of Ghana, as well as NKAARCO Diagnostics and Eventsaxis, both based in the UK. The African Virologists Network (AVN) was pre-launched during the congress.
