  This is a provisional status report of biophysics activities in Africa. We
start by highlighting the importance of biophysics research and development for
every country's economy in the 21st century. Yet, the amount of biophysics
activity in African countries varies between woefully little to nothing at all.
We present a scope of biophysics research on the continent based on a pilot
scientometrics study. We discuss a number of existing multinational programmes
and infrastructure initiatives and propose a Pan African Professional Society
for Biophysics. We emphasize the need for education, infrastructure and career
development, and conclude with a list of suggested recommendations for
expedited development of biophysics research on the continent.
