About the Journal

Aims and scope

The Somali Health Action Journal (SHAJ) is an open-access online publication. SHAJ offers a national and international platform for knowledge sharing on key health system topics in the fragile and post-conflict contexts in Somalia and in other similar settings. It aims to pave the way for interaction between Somali academics and their institutions, health system professionals, policymakers and international partners.

The journal aims to convey and promote local evidence-based solutions for the health problems and challenges heavily impacting population health. The Journal’s goals include building collaborative health research partnerships and a research culture that focuses on priority health needs. It also aims to promote research capacity building across academic health institutions. The journal will promote quality and equitable care which ensures the attainment of the desired outcomes. SHAJ will address the high burden of health challenges and diseases and promote community-based research to assess and contribute to the efforts being made to achieve Universal Health Coverage.

A range of articles and communications aiming to promote research capacity building, active health research networking between the different national health system stakeholders and health academic institutions as well as the international partners, will be encouraged. The journal will facilitate the undertaking of bibliometric reviews to assess the gap in evidence generation and its practical application. It will welcome debates on contextual public health issues. The journal will also promote the health sector's role in peacebuilding and a voice for reconciliation.

Accordingly, SHAJ will mark a new beginning in Somali health system recovery after decades of conflicts that ravaged the country and significantly disrupted the health services system and ruined the access of millions to a satisfactory essential package of services complying with the minimum quality required.

SHAJ Governance

The journal is owned by the Somali Universities while the Somali-Swedish Researchers´ Association (SSRA) will temporarily host the journal during an initial period of a few years. During this interim period, an Editorial Team (ET) will manage the journal, supported and coordinated by an Editorial Board (EB), which includes representatives of each of the Somali Universities, and International Advisors (IA). The journal is published by Umeå University Library, Sweden.