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| Formation | 2003 |
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President | Ambroise Wonkam |
| Website | www |
The African Society of Human Genetics (AfSHG) is a learned society and professional membership organization focused on the study of human genetics and genomics in Africans, and open to researchers who are interested in the subject. It has played a role in founding several national genetics societies, and is affiliated with the societies of Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mali, Egypt, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, and Tanzania.
As the origin of Homo sapiens, Africa is home to the widest array of human genetic diversity. The continent also has a high disease burden. Despite these factors, genetic research on the continent was inadequate, and no existing organization was sufficiently dedicated to the task. Holding its inaugural conference in Accra, Ghana, the Society was founded in 2003 to increase research capacity in Africa, support African researchers, and improve research of African people. Since then, it and its flagship project (H3Africa) have been important factors in the growth of genomic research in Africa.