Recordings Available: Biobanks Africa 2025
You might not have heard (where have you been?)…but this year saw the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) and the Biodiversity Biobanks South Africa (BBSA) hosting the biggest biobanking event in Africa: the GGBN / ISBER Joint Biobanking Conference 2025.
The conference, a joint effort by the Global Genome Biodiversity Network (GGBN), International Society for Biological and Environmental Repositories (ISBER), was held at the spectacular Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, Cape Town, South Africa, from 29 September – 3 October 2025.
With this year’s conference theme, “Where worlds align: biodiversity and human biobanks. Same, but different”, the conference brought together experts in human and biodiversity biobanking to talk shop, share solutions and discuss their work, opportunities and challenges.
Over twenty of those experts were from members of the BBSA Community – including speakers, poster presenters, and representatives on the Local Organising Committee and the Scientific Community.
But of course, not all of the biobanking community could afford to make it out to Kirstenbosch – or even attend virtually. So for all those who missed it, videos covering all session are now available on the dedicated Biobanks Africa 2025 YouTube Channel.
Watch Day 1’s keynote speeches, lightning talks and more below.
Find out more about the conference here. And for those who attended, or who are just very curious, try to spot the BBSA attendees in the picture gallery here. And while you’re at it, why not find out more about what the GGBN means to the BBSA here?
What are biodiversity biobanks?
Biodiversity biobanks are repositories of biologically relevant resources, including reproductive tissues such as seeds, eggs and sperm, other tissues including blood, DNA extracts, microbial cultures (active and dormant), and environmental samples containing biological communities….
