MGI Tech signed an MoU with South Africa’s SAMRC and DSTI to launch a 110,000-genome program that will establish the country’s first national genomic reference database. The initiative installs Africa’s first high-throughput DNBseq-T7 sequencer in Cape Town, begins with a 10,000-genome pilot, and plans to integrate multi-omics technologies (single-cell, spatial transcriptomics, proteomics) over time. Officials from the DSTI and SAMRC said the program will build local sequencing capacity, standardized pricing, and workforce development to make South Africa a regional genomics hub. MGI and partners said the reference will address representation gaps in global genomic datasets and support precision medicine tailored to African populations. The program’s pilot phase and infrastructure investments will be critical markers for funders and academic partners monitoring equitable genomics scaling on the continent.