DESTINY Cultural Event Report, MBOA In The LOOP
About the Event
MBOA in the LOOP was a one-day cultural and scientific event that brought together 64 participants from Cameroon's health, climate, research, media, and youth sectors. The name is rooted in Cameroonian identity "MBOA" meaning home, country, and community and In the LOOP referring to the human-in-the-loop principle at the heart of the DESTINY platform, ensuring human oversight of AI-assisted processes.
The DESTINY Project
DESTINY (Digital Evidence Synthesis Tool Innovation Yielding Improvements in Climate and Health) is a four-year global initiative funded by the Wellcome Trust. It builds AI-powered tools that make climate and health evidence faster to find, easier to use, and continuously updated. The platform currently holds over 21.7 million records and 492,000 included studies. eBASE Africa leads transferability research and youth engagement within the consortium through its iCODE Abakwa initiative.
Key Sessions
• Opening & Project Presentation: Miyaka Kinlabel (eBASE Africa / iCODE Abakwa) introduced the DESTINY platform and its plain-language search capability. A video address from Andrew Harvey (Future Evidence Foundation, Australia) connected climate and health challenges across borders.
• Panel Discussion: Panellists including Dr Jan Minx (Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research), Professor Pierre Ongolo Zogo (Director, Central Hospital of Yaoundé), and Miyaka Kinlabel explored how AI and evidence can better support real-world decision-making in Cameroon. Key themes included building trust in AI tools, the role of youth as co-creators, evidence in low-resource settings, and responsible AI use.
• Voix de Terrain (Voices from the Field): A storytelling session combining slam poetry, music, and live painting, performed by eBASE Africa storytellers. The session connected the day's scientific content to lived Cameroonian experience, grounded in eBASE Africa's Evidence Tori Dey methodology.
• Live Demonstration: Miyaka Kinlabel demonstrated the DEST Transferability Tool, which assesses whether evidence from one setting can meaningfully inform decisions in another, a critical need for African policymakers working with globally generated research.
Outcomes
• Institutional engagement: The National Forestry School formally requested a follow-up DESTINY demonstration.
• Health sector interest: HOBISH, HOFA, and Great Feel Health Promotion expressed interest in using DESTINY to support their evidence needs.• Cross-sectoral convening: The event brought together, in one room, climate scientists, clinicians, policymakers, researchers, and youth innovators — a rare convergence that established a shared network for DESTINY's next phase in Cameroon.
"The Loop runs through Home." #mboaintheloop