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Significance magazine invites submissions for a special issue dedicated to the work, perspectives, and priorities of African statisticians. This issue aims to highlight and celebrate the unique challenges, opportunities, and advancements in statistics and data science within the African context

We are seeking, first and foremost, contributions by African statisticians and data scientists but any high quality submission will be given due consideration as long as it addresses pressing issues faced by African communities, civil society, governments, and organisations. In the words of Seye Abimbola, we encourage all writers to carefully consider who they write for (“gaze”), and the position or standpoint from which they write (“pose”).

Suggested topics

Submissions may include, but are not limited to:

  • Applications of statistics in African contexts: Healthcare, education, agriculture, climate change, urbanisation, gender, etc
  • Evidence-informed policy-making: Statistical insights shaping governance and public policy across Africa
  • Capacity building: Innovative approaches to teaching and learning statistics in Africa
  • Technological innovations: Applications of machine learning, artificial intelligence, and big data in African industries
  • Ethics in statistics: Addressing issues of data governance, research integrity, research equity, etc

Advice on writing for Significance 

Articles must be accessible and engaging to a general audience, including non-experts. This means technical terms and mathematics must be kept to a minimum and explained clearly where used. For further advice, see our contributor guidelines.

How to submit

Send a brief outline of the scope and structure of the proposed article, including key takeaways for readers, to significance@rss.org.uk. Submissions must be in MS Word or OpenOffice format with the subject line “Africa special issue”.

Key dates

  • Proposals to be submitted by: 1 March 2025
  • Invitations issued by: 10 March 2025
  • Articles to be submitted by: 1 May 2025