African physicists and astronomers have launched the African Physical Society to advocate for physics across the continent and to increase resources for physics training and research in Africa.

African Physical Society Interim President Francis K. A. Allotey said that one of the main reasons for establishing the society was the lack of African countries ranked in the top 20 in physics publications or citations. "It is unfortunate that most African physics activity is invisible to the rest of the world, yet we know that there are pockets of excellence in physics happening all across the continent. We intend for the African Physical Society to be a strong and unified voice for physics in Africa. We will better organize the African physics community, build better networks on the continent and beyond, be a strong advocate for more resources for physics research and education, and be mentors for students studying physics,” said Allotey.

The Society, which was formerly known as the Society of African Physicists and Mathematicians (SAPAM), has taken as a subsidiary organization the African Association of Physics Students.

The Society's official scholarly publication will be the African Physical Review, a free, on-line, peer reviewed, international journal that is co-sponsored by ICTP and the African Academy of Sciences.