About SAMSON

The Sub-Saharan African MuSculOskeletal Network – SAMSON - is a research network across West, East and Southern Africa which aims to build sustainable capacity in Musculoskeletal Health Research. Musculoskeletal Health Research includes studies of bones, joints and muscles and the diseases that affect these systems. SAMSON focuses on Musculoskeletal Health Research in human populations throughout the lifecourse.

Sub-Saharan Africa has been heavily focused on tackling infectious diseases. As countries now transition, life expectancy and non-communicable disease burdens are rising. Sub-Saharan Africa already has twice the number of older adults than northern Europe increasing from 46 million in 2015 to an expected 157 million by 2050. Musculoskeletal Health Research includes studies of bones, joints and muscles and the diseases that affect these systems in human populations throughout the lifecourse. Musculoskeletal conditions are some of the most common health problems globally, often associated with ageing.