Nature Africa launched to showcase science across the continent

Nature Africa, new online magazine that reports on scientific research and issues on scientific policies across the African continent has been launched by Springer Nature, a global publisher dedicated to providing services to research communities in the world.

A statement issued by Springer Nature and copied to the Ghana News Agency said Nature Africa would cover the highest impact research taking place across the continent and communicate this to scientists and decision-makers in and outside the continent.

It said alongside news stories and research highlights, Nature Africa would also publish feature articles, opinions and commentaries.

The statement said that the languages of publication are English and French.

The statement further said, led by Chief Editor, Akinlabi Kazeem Jimoh, Nature Africa would draw attention to African research that drives growth and development across the continent.

It said as a vibrant destination for researchers of all career levels across disciplines, Nature Africa would promote research discourse and enable the discussion of scientific achievements by providing a place where ideas could be celebrated, challenged, critique and built on.

It said a diverse range of articles would be written by journalists and researchers, and topics relevant for Africa would be covered alongside broader issues.

It indicated that the contents in Nature Africa is free to access at https://www.nature.com/natafrica thanks to financial support of a consortium of partners: The University of Cape Town (UCT), University of

Johannesburg, University of Pretoria, University of the Witwatersrand and Stellenbosch University.

Akinlabi Kazeem Jimoh, Chief Editor of Nature Africa, said: “Our goal for Nature Africa is to shine a light on science in Africa and the scientists contributing to solving local and global problems whilst promoting scientific exchange across the continent".

"We hope to tell and be part of the African growth story which often does not receive the attention it deserves.”

Magdalena Skipper, Editor-in-Chief of Nature, said: “I am delighted that through the launch of Nature Africa, we can help highlight, and put into context, the most important research from and relevant for the African continent".

"We hope that this new platform will be a valuable resource for researchers in Africa and abroad, and we welcome your feedback and suggestions for its improvement.”

The statement said a virtual event to celebrate the launch of Nature Africa would take place on Monday 10 May 2021.

Nature Africa is not a peer-reviewed journal and will not consider primary research articles for publication.