Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a major cause of premature mortality and morbidity worldwide and thus poses a significant public health challenge.

In sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), T2D is an emerging epidemic with a current prevalence of around 1–6%. Over the next 20 years, it is predicted that SSA will have the highest growth in the number of people with diabetes of any region in the world—with a doubling of the current prevalence. The disorder will present a major health problem in SSA, competing for limited health resources with infectious diseases and other emerging non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as cardiovascular disease.

The Wellcome Trust is funding a multi-national study to be conducted within 11 sites across 8 African countries including Uganda, Tanzania, South Africa, Nigeria, Guinea, Malawi, The Gambia and Cameroon. In Uganda, the study will be conducted in Nsambya hospital- Kampala over 24 months.

Study objectives include:

• The assessment of the burden and spectrum of type 2 diabetes among adults in sub Saharan Africa.
• Assessment of the environmental and genetic determinants of type 2 diabetes in sub Saharan Africa.

In assessing the burden and epidemiology of type 2 diabetes in sub Saharan Africa, the study hopes to inform potential preventive and therapeutic strategies tailored to the region. Given the marked genomic diversity among populations in SSA, understanding the genomic basis of NCDs and their risk factors in populations of African descent is likely to provide additional insights into disease aetiology and potential therapeutic strategies.