About the consortia

Hearing impairment remains the most disabling congenital disease, with a higher burden in Africa. Congenital hearing impairment occurs in 6 per 1000 new-born in Africa. Half of congenital hearing impairment cases have a genetic aetiology, of which 70% are isolated and referred as non-syndromic (NS). 

The HI-GENES Africa programme uses whole genome sequencing (WES), to study the largest sample of sub-Saharan Africans from Cameroon, Mali, Ghana, and South Africa with prelingual non-syndromic hearing impairment (NSHI), in order to identify novel NSHI genes and to better understand the genetic aetiology of NSHI in African populations. Identifying novel genes can help doctors to improve their capacity to detect HI early and offer appropriate treatment to children with hearing impairment to maximise their cognitive, social-emotional, speech and language development. The project also seeks to improve genetic screening and in future, prediction of cochlear implant and treatment outcomes in sub-Saharan Africans, African-Americans and Hispanic-Americans of African descent. The network also engages policymakers and support groups on psychosocial challenges experienced by families and people living with HI.

Project Sites: University of Ghana, University of Yaounde and University of Science, Technical and Technology of Bamako