Thinking Outside the Individual Box-A Communitarian Approach to Bioethics for Biorepositories

Biorepositories in African populations are an important tool to ensure inclusive research to benefit African populations and the African diaspora. The establishment of biorepositories in Africa may, however, be impeded if culturally sensitive practices are not followed with respect to community engagement and informed consent. Communitarianism is a philosophical model which can be applied to African ethical processes. This model considers the individual within the broader context of the community and is compatible with cultural and religious practices in diverse African countries. This review considers the application of communitarianism to ethical and socially acceptable biorepository best practice on the African continent.