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News ArticlesBuilding Africa’s Biosafety Workforce – From Training to Transformation 

Building Africa’s Biosafety Workforce – From Training to Transformation 

Across Africa, a quiet transformation is underway in laboratories, training rooms, and regional centers of excellence. What was once a fragmented landscape of short-term trainings is steadily evolving into a structured, competency-based professional pathway, one that is shaping not just individual careers, but the continent’s readiness to respond to biological threats. At the center of this transformation is the Regional Training and Certification Program for Biosafety and Biosecurity Professionals (RTCP-BBP), an Africa CDC-led initiative implemented in collaboration with the African Society for Laboratory Medicine (ASLM). Developed in response to long-standing gaps in standardized training, the program represents a shift toward a coordinated, standardized, and continent-wide approach to workforce development. For years, assessments such as the Joint External Evaluation and the Global Health Security Index highlighted a consistent issue across African Union Member States: limited capacity in biosafety and biosecurity systems. Despite the presence of skilled professionals, the absence of standardized, regionally recognized training frameworks made it difficult to build sustainable expertise. Training efforts were often isolated, inconsistent, and difficult to scale. The RTCP-BBP was designed to change that. Built on four core specialization areas—biorisk management, biological waste management, biocontainment engineering, and biosafety cabinet certification -the program provides a structured pathway from foundational knowledge to advanced certification. But more importantly, it embeds something often missing from technical programs: mentorship, accountability, and real-world application.

Nelly Rwenji & Nuru Ngailo 

“We must move beyond numbers and demonstrate real impact.” 

Across Africa, a quiet transformation is underway in laboratories, training rooms, and regional centers of excellence. What was once a fragmented landscape of short-term trainings is steadily evolving into a structured, competency-based professional pathway, one that is shaping not just individual careers, but the continent’s readiness to respond to biological threats. 

At the center of this transformation is the Regional Training and Certification Program for Biosafety and Biosecurity Professionals (RTCP-BBP), an Africa CDC-led initiative implemented in collaboration with the African Society for Laboratory Medicine (ASLM). Developed in response to long-standing gaps in standardized training, the program represents a shift toward a coordinated, standardized, and continent-wide approach to workforce development. 

For years, assessments such as the Joint External Evaluation and the Global Health Security Index highlighted a consistent issue across African Union Member States: limited capacity in biosafety and biosecurity systems. 

Despite the presence of skilled professionals, the absence of standardized, regionally recognized training frameworks made it difficult to build sustainable expertise. Training efforts were often isolated, inconsistent, and difficult to scale. 

The RTCP-BBP was designed to change that. 

Built on four core specialization areas—biorisk management, biological waste management, biocontainment engineering, and biosafety cabinet certification -the program provides a structured pathway from foundational knowledge to advanced certification. 

But more importantly, it embeds something often missing from technical programs: mentorship, accountability, and real-world application.