...many clinicians and biomedical researchers have balked at the idea of exploring ageing-related disorders in sub-Saharan Africa. The APOE ɛ4 allele, which is robustly associated with Alzheimer's disease in most populations, might have more nuanced links to Alzheimer's disease in people with African ancestry.3 The pathology of Alzheimer's disease is also intriguing, as African populations tend not to share risk factors with people living in high-income countries.4 Africa harbours the greatest genetic diversity of any continent (low linkage disequilibrium and short haplotype blocks). ...increasing the representation of indigenous Africans in genomic research could bring novel insights into the biology of brain health and cognition, facilitate translational genomics, and improve understanding of dementia phenotypes and protective and risk factors.2 Furthermore, fine mapping of new loci and variants identified in African populations could help to pinpoint causal genetic variants. The Consortium will focus on several research areas, including epidemiological studies on prevalence, incidence, and risk factors;4 genetic and epigenetic studies; detection of unique biomarkers; clinical trials; capacity building and networking among dementia researchers living or working in Africa; translational research; implementation science for the translation of research evidence to practice and policy; determinants of brain health; and ethical, legal, sociological, and anthropological issues in brain health.