On October 8th, the Davos Alzheimer’s Collaborative, with the European Brain Council, the Global CEO Initiative on Alzheimer’s Disease, the Associazione Italiana Malattia di Alzheimer and Fondazione Prada, convened global leaders on the sidelines of the G7 Health Ministerial Meeting to address the escalating global challenge of Alzheimer’s and dementia. Coming out of this pivotal discussion, we introduce a bold call to action: Advancing Global Collaboration on Alzheimer’s Disease, Brain Health, and Healthy Aging – Five Bold Actions to Launch the Next Phase of G7 Commitment.

Regions of the genome associated with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia in African populations will be presented at the Future of Dementia in Africa conference on September 11-12, 2024. The studies highlight discrepancies compared to Caucasian populations and underscore that a lack of diversity in genomic studies potentially limits the effectiveness of targeted therapies across diverse populations.

Dementia is becoming a major public health issue in Africa as its population ages.

In 2015, Sub-Saharan Africa had more than two million people living with dementia. By 2050, this figure is expected to reach nearly eight million, according to Alzheimer’s Disease International.

Despite this, there remains a huge gap in research and evidence on dementia in the region.

NAIROBI — African countries face a sharp increase in dementia cases due to longer life expectancies and healthcare systems that are inadequately resourced to treat the growing number of elderly patients, scientists have warned.

Over 250 experts from 35 nations attended the 'Future of Dementia in Africa' conference in Nairobi last week.

​​The inaugural Future of Dementia in Africa: Advancing Global Partnerships conference successfully concluded in Nairobi, marking a landmark achievement in the pursuit of brain health and dementia care across the African continent. Co-hosted by Aga Khan University’s Brain & Mind Institute, the Davos Alzheimer’s Collaborative (DAC), and Nature Conferences, this landmark event united over 200 researchers, policymakers, healthcare professionals, and industry leaders from Africa and around the world, setting a new benchmark for global collaboration in tackling dementia.

Africa has the youngest population of people across the globe. By 2050, Africans will make up a quarter of the world’s population. So for most people, dementia and Alzheimer’s are far from their minds. But experts are warning that’s a mistake. As people in African countries live longer, the burden of cognitive diseases is expected to skyrocket. Most of Africa is not prepared. The World’s Africa correspondent Halima Gikandi reports from Nairobi, Kenya.

The Aga Khan University’s Brain & Mind Institute in partnership with The Davos Alzheimer’s Collaborative (DAC) and Nature Conferences, has hosted a conference that brings together experts from across Africa and the world to address key issues affecting people with dementia.

Africa faces unique challenges in addressing dementia, including limited resources, varying levels of healthcare infrastructure and a need for greater awareness and education.

Africa can harness community care, traditional health, exercise and digital tools to treat dementia as its population ages, according to experts on the second day of Nature’s “Future of Dementia in Africa” conference,.

The conference, the first of its kind in Africa, was presented in conjunction with the Davos Alzheimer’s Collaborative and Aga Khan University and ran from 11-12 September in Nairobi.

The Inaugural Conference on Brain Health and Dementia has set the stage for crucial discussions on addressing the continent's growing dementia crisis.

Hosted by Aga Khan University’s Brain & Mind Institute in collaboration with The Davos Alzheimer’s Collaborative (DAC) and Nature Conferences, this landmark event brings together global experts to tackle pressing issues in dementia research and care.

Africa faces unique challenges in addressing dementia, including limited resources, varying levels of healthcare infrastructure, and a need for greater awareness and education. These were the sentiments echoed during the opening ceremony of the inaugural conference on brain health and dementia.

Watch the full video on KTN News.

Dementia is becoming a growing public health challenge around the world, with an estimated 150 million people expected to be living with the disease by 2050.

Davos Alzheimer’s Collaborative Founding Chairman George Vradenburg said that in sub-Saharan Africa, an estimated 2.13 million people were living with dementia by 2015, and this number is expected to increase to 3.48 million by 2030 and 7.62 million by 2050.

Kenya lacks resources, including varying levels of healthcare infrastructure, and has a need for greater awareness and education on the condition. 

At the recent Nature Conference held in Nairobi, George Vrandenburg, the founding chairman of the Davos Alzheimer’s Collaborative, emphasized the urgent need for advancing Alzheimer’s research in Africa.

Regions of the genome associated with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia in African populations will be presented at the Future of Dementia in Africa conference on September 11-12, 2024. The studies highlight discrepancies compared to Caucasian populations and underscore that a lack of diversity in genomic studies potentially limits the effectiveness of targeted therapies across diverse populations.

A lack of diversity in genomic studies for dementia could limit the effectiveness of targeted therapies across underrepresented populations, finds research by UCL experts.