How Digital Technology is Transforming Genebank Management Across Africa
16 December 2025, Africa: In a genebank outside Nairobi, a technician scans a barcode label on a seed envelope. Instantly, a screen fills with data – where the seed was collected, when it was last tested and whether it has duplicates safely stored elsewhere. Just a few years ago, this information might have been kept in notebooks or scattered across spreadsheets. Today, it’s part of a regional data network linking genebanks across Africa. This transformation has been made possible by two digital tools – GRIN Global Community Edition (GGCE) and Genesys.
Similar changes are unfolding at the Plant Genetic Resources Research Institute (PGRRI) in Ghana and the National Centre for Genetic Resources and Biotechnology (NACGRAB) in Nigeria. At these national genebanks, seed packages are now barcoded, inventories are digitized and data is shared efficiently with national and global partners.
These digital tools are reshaping how genebanks in Africa – and indeed elsewhere around the world – conserve and share their crop diversity. Countries are transitioning from isolated record-keeping to interconnected digital data management, ensuring that their agricultural heritage is conserved, accessible and future-ready.
From Paper to Pixels
For many genebanks, digital modernization is more than just increasing efficiency – it’s a safeguard for the future. Barcoding and electronic tracking allow seeds to be traced, monitored and regenerated more easily and accurately, which reduces loss and improves transparency.
In Kenya, the Genetic Resources Research Institute (GeRRI) Genebank has digitized more than 54,000 accessions. The institute uses GGCE to track seed viability, record observations and generate reports in seconds. Integration with Genesys connects GeRRI to the global research community, allowing scientists to request materials online.
With GGCE, we comfortably manage data and generate reports quickly. Everything is integrated, efficient and reliable. And then the magic happens with Genesys. Researchers can request materials directly through our embedded Genesys platform – no emails or calls needed. Requests come straight to us, and we process them fast.
Joseph Ndugu Kimani
Information Management Unit – GeRRI
In Nigeria, NACGRAB once managed its entire seed collection manually. Every label hand-drawn, every record written by hand. With support from the Crop Trust Seeds for Resilience project, over 8,500 accessions have now been cataloged and more than 6,000 items barcoded. Thanks to GGCE, the shift from manual to digital is improving genebank operations.
Before GGCE, everything in our genebank was done manually. We had no proper database – records were scattered and inconsistent. With GGCE, we cleaned all our data, assigned inventory numbers and barcodes, and put our genebank into a proper and well-arranged format.
Oluranti John Afolabi
IT and Database Manager – NACGRAB
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