Public health research and practice in Africa

We are delighted to present the maiden edition of the Journal of Public Health in Africa (JPHIA). Like most great innovations, the idea behind JPHIA was spontaneously conceived upon observing the precarious state of public health care delivery in the African continent. The JPHIA is set up as non-profit making open source that will compete with other world class journals. The strength of JPHIA is in the people behind the journal’s existence as well as the teeming interested readership. The journal will be published online and quarterly. No effort will be spared in ensuring that we publish high quality refereed materials despite our limited resources at this point. The maiden edition mirrors the diversity and richness of the journal. HIV/AIDS has taken a central position in the Africa’s public health debate, so also the state of the health system. There is also the largely ignored role of mass media in public health discourse. A valuable report is reproduced with the kind permission of the CSIS global health policy centre. A review of the current debate on health workers migration is surely a thoughtful item for our readers. The JPHIA will always be happy to introduce more entries to cover all aspect of public health discourse in Africa. Your letters to the editor are welcome, to serve as guide for our improvement. We hope you shall join hand with us in sustaining this noble idea.