The launch of the East, Central and Southern Africa Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (ECSAJOG) marks an important milestone in the advancement of scientific scholarship, professional collaboration, and reproductive health equity across Africa. This inaugural issue represents more than the birth of a new academic journal; it signifies the emergence of a regional platform dedicated to amplifying African voices, generating locally relevant evidence, and addressing persistent disparities in maternal, newborn, sexual, and reproductive health.
Despite notable progress over recent decades, countries in East, Central, and Southern Africa continue to shoulder a disproportionate burden of maternal and perinatal mortality. Women in many parts of the region still face unacceptable risks of dying from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth. Access to high-quality emergency obstetric and newborn care (EmONC) remains unequal, with profound disparities between urban and rural communities, among socioeconomic groups, and across national borders. Essential services such as comprehensive emergency obstetric care, maternal-fetal medicine, gynecologic oncology, family planning, infertility care, and neonatal intensive care remain inaccessible to millions of women and newborns.
Addressing these challenges requires more than clinical expertise and health system investments. It requires evidence—evidence that accurately reflects the realities, priorities, and contexts of African populations. Yet scientific knowledge production and dissemination remain unevenly distributed. A substantial body of valuable research conducted in Africa never reaches publication. Many studies remain archived as institutional reports, dissertations, or conference presentations, limiting their contribution to policy and practice. Furthermore, African researchers often face significant barriers in publishing their work, including limited access to mentorship, publication costs, editorial biases, and underrepresentation within global scientific discourse.
As a consequence, many policies and clinical guidelines continue to rely heavily on evidence generated in settings vastly different from those in which they are applied. While global evidence is invaluable, local realities matter. Health systems, disease patterns, resource constraints, sociocultural contexts, and patient experiences vary significantly across regions. The need for locally generated, locally owned, and locally disseminated evidence has never been greater.
ECSAJOG was established in recognition of this need.
This first official edition of our newest journal, ECSAJOG, is an open-access publication designed to increase accessibility to original research in obstetrics, gynaecology, and reproductive health. The journal is supported and owned by the East, Central and Southern Africa College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, which came into existence eight years ago with the vision of strengthening postgraduate training and advancing women’s health across the region.
ECSACOG is a professional college dedicated to providing collegiate postgraduate training in obstetrics and gynaecology throughout the East, Central, and Southern African region, with its headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania. Through its training programs, examinations, accreditation systems, and professional networks, the College has worked to foster excellence in clinical care, education, leadership, and research.The establishment of ECSAJOG represents a natural and necessary evolution of that mission.
The journal aims to engage fellows, members, trainees, researchers, policymakers, and healthcare professionals from Africa and beyond. It seeks to provide a trusted platform for the publication of original research, reviews, clinical innovations, quality improvement initiatives, policy analyses, educational scholarship, and perspectives that contribute to improving the health of women, newborns, and families.
Importantly, ECSAJOG aspires to become a unifying scientific voice for the countries of East, Central, and Southern Africa. While individual nations have made remarkable contributions to global reproductive health knowledge, scientific efforts across the region have often remained fragmented. A regional journal provides an opportunity to consolidate experiences, facilitate collaboration, strengthen multicountry research, and foster a shared agenda for addressing common health challenges.
The journal is also committed to advancing principles of equity and representation. Data from African populations must be visible, accessible, and influential in shaping global health priorities. The people most affected by maternal and reproductive health challenges deserve to have their experiences reflected in the evidence base that guides policy and practice. By promoting equitable representation of African data and perspectives, ECSAJOG seeks to contribute to a more balanced and inclusive global scientific community.
We are particularly proud that the Editorial Board has been deliberately constituted to reflect international diversity, with members representing all six inhabited continents of the world. This global composition reflects our commitment to scientific excellence, international collaboration, and broad dissemination while maintaining a strong African identity and focus.
This inaugural issue carries special historical significance. It is dedicated to the research manuscripts of the first graduating residents of ECSACOG, each of whom successfully completed a research thesis as part of the requirements for fellowship training. Their work reflects the intellectual curiosity, dedication, and scientific potential of a new generation of African obstetricians and gynaecologists. The publication of their research in this inaugural issue symbolizes the integration of research, training, and clinical excellence that ECSACOG strives to promote.
The timing of this first issue is equally symbolic, coinciding with the graduation of the first cohort of ECSACOG-trained specialists. Their graduation marks a major milestone in the College’s history and represents the beginning of a growing community of fellows who will contribute to improving women’s health across the region for decades to come.
As we celebrate this achievement, we recognize that this is only the beginning. Building a respected and influential scientific journal requires sustained commitment from authors, reviewers, editors, readers, institutions, and partners. We therefore invite researchers, clinicians, educators, and policymakers to join us in shaping the future of ECSAJOG.
Starting with the second edition, the journal will operate through an open call for submissions. We welcome contributions from both members and non-members, from Africa and around the world. Calls for papers and submission information will be available through the journal website, ECSAJOG Website, beginning in September 2026.
As we inaugurate ECSAJOG, we reaffirm our commitment to scientific integrity, editorial independence, open access, and the advancement of reproductive health equity. We envision a future where evidence generated in Africa informs practice in Africa and contributes meaningfully to global knowledge. We envision a future where every researcher has a platform, every important finding has an audience, and every woman has access to care informed by the best available evidence.
The journey toward maternal and reproductive health equity requires strong institutions, skilled professionals, responsive health systems, and robust scientific evidence. ECSAJOG is proud to contribute to that journey.
Welcome to the inaugural issue of ECSAJOG—a regional voice for women’s health, scientific excellence, and health equity in Africa.