

Africa Bioethics Network Annual Conference 2026
Foundational Edition
Nairobi, Kenya
01-03 November 2026


Conference Approach
Conference Approach
The ABN Annual Conference serves a specific function within the bioethics ecosystem: it is designed as a space for translation, consolidation, and collective ethical reasoning.
The conference brings together scholarship, practice across multiple sectors, policy engagement, and community perspectives to interrogate how ethical principles are interpreted, negotiated, and operationalised in real-world contexts.
Key Distinguishing Features
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Ethics governance, clinical practice, policy design, and community engagement are treated as sites of ethical expertise - not merely technical or administrative processes
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Work-in-progress and lived ethical dilemmas are legitimate and valued forms of knowledge
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Structured mentorship and intergenerational exchange embedded in the programme design
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Practice-oriented outputs that feed back into training, policy guidance, publishing, clinical protocols, and institutional decision-making
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Cross-sectoral dialogue - research ethicists learn from clinicians, policymakers engage with community practitioners, technology developers dialogue with environmental justice advocates
Knowledge Translation Mechanism
The conference functions as a knowledge-translation mechanism, strengthening continuity between ethical reflection and ethical action across diverse contexts.
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Rather than ending at dissemination, the conference:
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Surfaces ongoing work from ABN's ecosystem
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Pressure-tests frameworks, tools, and guidance
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Enables cross-sector critique and refinement
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Produces outputs that return to practice
