Dear TAP Fam,

In 2018, while working on a new issue of TAP, I asked myself this one and simple question: How many African scientists could I name off the top of my head? I quickly realized I could only name just one. Today, let me begin by passing on this same question to you, how many African scientists do you know?

And did you know that Africa only has 198 researchers per million people. This is in comparison to 4,500 per million in the UK and the US and the global average of 1,150. African scientists have been a rarity, however, the numbers have been slowly rising as we begin to realize the urgency of generating scientific knowledge on the continent. 

Never has science been more important than now. When we welcomed 2020, no one thought a pandemic was on the horizon. No one thought the world would be looking at more than 220 million cases of COVID-19 and over 4.5 million deaths as a result of the virus. These are truly strange times we find ourselves in. Despite it all, the continent many thought would be hit hardest remains resilient. Africa has managed to ride the COVID-19 waves and we are still here, fighting, adjusting and maneuvering through this pandemic as much as we can. 

At TAP, we are not new to science and the stories of those involved in science in Africa. In fact, even before COVID-19 was a thing, in 2018, we partnered with The African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) to produce “Wajenzi ''. A documentary on science in Africa, a first of its kind in recent times and our first ever documentary where we dug out interesting facts such as the fact that Mathematics was invented and first intentionally practiced in Africa. Since then, we’ve wanted to do more, we’ve wanted to continue to tell and amplify the stories of Africa’s men and women in science and this milestone issue 15 pays homage to Africans in science. 

We have put together a list of ten African scientists who have made strides in their fields of expertise and who you should make a point of reading about and sharing their work with your friends and family; and especially with young people around you who are interested in Science. From the scientist who invented bricks from urine to one of the few women scientists leading their own science labs today. 

While the statistics around science and Africa can often be dark and discouraging, our hope with this issue is that we can debunk the myth that STEM cannot thrive in Africa because it is indeed thriving albeit not with the support it should be accorded. We hope to encourage those yearning to join the field by showing them that their older “brothers and sisters” have already paved the way for them, that parents can foster the love of science in the younger generations and that Africans in STEM can ‘build their own tables’ here on the continent rather than waiting to be invited to tables in the western world.

We may have a vaccine but we are not out of the woods yet with this pandemic, so wash hands, wear a mask, keep social distance where possible and get vaccinated if you can. Talking about vaccines, Paul Mensah, a Ghanaian chemical engineer who led a team of scientists, engineers and technicians to develop Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine is also featured in this issue. 

Thank you and Keep well

Link to the digital version of the issue is here > TAP Magazine Issue 15