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African Bioethics in Practice: Governance and Responsibility
An African-led, Globally Engaged Platform for Bioethics

​​The Call for Abstracts Open 25 May 2026 | Deadline: 31 July 2026.

Where ethics governance, clinical practice, policy design, and community engagement meet across diverse contexts. Convened from Africa, in dialogue with global bioethics.
The Africa Bioethics Network convenes the ABN Annual Conference 2026 — a platform for applied ethical dialogue, interdisciplinary exchange, and reflection across research, health systems, policy, technology, and community practice.

Key Dates

Milestone
Date
Call for Abstracts Open

25 May 2026

Abstract Submission Deadline

31 July 2026 (11:59 PM EAT)

Review Period

1–27 August 2026

Acceptance Notifications

5–10 September 2026

Final Programme Published

September 2026

Presenter Registration Deadline

30 September 2026

Early Bird Registration Closes

30 September 2026

Standard Registration Deadline

26 October 2026

Conference

24–25 November 2026

Conference Highlights

  • Cross-Sectoral Dialogue : Researchers, clinicians, policymakers, community practitioners, and technology actors in shared conversation — across sectors, regions, and knowledge traditions.

  • Shared Plenaries + Focused Sessions : Collective plenaries bring all participants together for shared ethical dialogue, while focused sessions allow deeper engagement across specialised areas of practice​

  • Mentorship Embedded : Early-career scholars engage with senior mentors through structured opportunities for professional development, exchange, and guidance.

  • ​Applied Ethics Focus : Sessions are designed to explore how ethical analysis informs real decisions, policies, and practices across diverse contexts.​

  • African Frameworks : African ethical perspectives, knowledge traditions, and practice-based insights inform the conference, alongside dialogue with global bioethics.

African Bioethics in Practice

Explore the Themes

Five intersecting areas shaping the conference dialogue:

  1. Research Ethics & Governance : REC systems, consent, regulation, participant protection, data governance

  2. Health Systems & Clinical Ethics : Resource allocation, quality of care, clinical decision-making, mental health, community health

  3. Emerging Technologies & Science : AI, genomics, biotechnology, reproductive technologies, digital health

  4. Climate, Environment & Health Ethics : Climate justice, sustainability, environmental health, One Health, indigenous ecological knowledge

  5. Knowledge Production & Epistemic Justice : Publishing, peer review, authorship, open science, research integrity, decolonising methodologies

Who Should Attend

This conference is for anyone engaged in applied bioethics — where ethics meets real decisions, governance, and practice. We especially welcome contributions from:

​

  • Research governance and ethics committees

  • Health systems and clinical practice

  • Public health programmes and policy

  • Emerging technologies — AI, genomics, digital health

  • Climate and environmental health

  • Knowledge production and publishing

  • Community-based ethical work

 

Whether you are a researcher, practitioner, policymaker, community leader, or student — if you work where ethics meets practice, this conference is for you.

​About ABN

ABN​ LOGO

The Africa Bioethics Network (ABN) is a continental platform for applied bioethics spanning 42+ African countries with over 1,300 members. Through research, training, mentorship, publishing, and policy engagement, ABN strengthens ethical governance across health, research, and innovation.

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