For decades, African medical researchers faced a dual burden: high disease prevalence and low publication visibility. Research conducted in sub-Saharan Africa was often published in European or North American journals, leading to issues of epistemic injustice, paywalled access for local practitioners, and editorial priorities misaligned with local health realities. Launched in 2008 by the African Field Epidemiology Network (AFENet), The Pan African Medical Journal emerged as a direct counter-narrative. Its mission was simple but radical: provide a high-quality, free-to-read, and free-to-publish platform that prioritizes African health challenges (e.g., malaria, tuberculosis, maternal mortality, neglected tropical diseases) from an African perspective.
While there are excellent regional publications (e.g., East African Medical Journal , South African Medical Journal ), PAMJ is unique in its . It does not prioritize one region over another. A study from a clinic in Algiers sits alongside research from a hospital in Cape Town or a village in Malawi. The Pan African Medical Journal
One of the greatest strengths of The Pan African Medical Journal is its editorial team. The Editor-in-Chief is always an African public health leader, currently supported by associate editors from Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, Nigeria, and Rwanda. The journal also maintains a robust statistical review board to ensure methodological rigor. For decades, African medical researchers faced a dual
Next time you do a literature review on schistosomiasis or surgical outcomes in Africa, go beyond PubMed’s top 10 results. Search The Pan African Medical Journal . You might find the answer has been there all along. Its mission was simple but radical: provide a
For the global health community to truly be "global," we need to read, cite, and review for PAMJ. It is a messy, ambitious, and vital experiment in decolonizing medical knowledge.
No journal is perfect. PAMJ faces significant hurdles that any author should be aware of.