Founding Editor-in-Chief Welcome: Building an Open Platform for African Cancer Scholarship

Opening letter. Front-matter contribution reproduced from the AJCR Welcome page for the synthetic inaugural issue fixture.

It is my great honor and privilege to serve as the founding Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of the African Organization for Cancer Research, the official scientific journal of the African Organization for Research and Training in Cancer (AORTIC).

AORTIC was first envisioned in 1986 and formally reactivated in 2000 during a landmark session held at the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting in San Francisco. From its inception, AORTIC's mission has been to unite the global African cancer research community and to strengthen cancer research, training, and control efforts across the continent.

The launch of the journal marks a major milestone in fulfilling AORTIC's long-standing vision to provide a high-quality, accessible platform for publishing African-led cancer research and fostering the exchange of knowledge between African and global investigators.

Our vision is for AJCR to serve as an open-access scientific platform advancing cancer science, prevention, and care in Africa through the dissemination of rigorous, innovative, and contextually relevant research. Importantly, the journal will be free of charge to African investigators residing on the continent, ensuring equitable access to knowledge creation and dissemination.

The journal seeks to highlight discoveries that address Africa's unique cancer challenges and opportunities, promote interdisciplinary collaboration, encourage mentorship and visibility of emerging African scientists, and foster equitable global partnerships that strengthen local research capacity and sustainability.

We warmly invite researchers, clinicians, trainees, and policymakers to join us in shaping this new era of African cancer scholarship. Together, through AJCR, we can amplify African voices, share impactful discoveries, and accelerate progress toward equitable cancer outcomes for all.

With warm regards,
Sulma I. Mohammed, DVM, MS, PhD
Founding Editor-in-Chief