Index IntroductionImportance of Forensic Science in AfricaDevelopments of Forensic Science in African CountriesThe Ghanaian PerspectiveThe Nigerian and South African PerspectivesConclusion and RecommendationsReferencesIntroductionForensic science is still an evolving interdisciplinary profession that applies science to questions of law ( 1). It encompasses a myriad of disciplines ranging from social, medical, biological and natural sciences. Therefore, it is incredibly important to understand the importance of forensic science. The discovery of this precious tool has been a vehicle that has guided the necessary methods of investigating, adjudicating, solving and reducing crimes throughout the world (2,3). Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay This profession is appropriately diverse. It is the embodiment of various disciplines, hence called interdisciplinary profession. Each specialty is complementary to the other. This is actually done for confirmation and confirmation purposes (4). A clear example is how a forensic pathologist is able to identify that the cause of a person's death is poisoning, this is further confirmed by a forensic toxicologist or biochemist performing quantitative or qualitative analyzes on body fluids or organs of the body. deceased. This creates harmony and symphony in the legal and criminal justice systems (5). Importance of Forensic Science in Africa Despite these tremendous improvements, Africa, on the other hand, has taken time to embrace this emerging science (6). It happened at the end of the 20th century. It has laboriously crept into Africa's criminal, judicial and legal systems. It is still in its development stages. This wonderful discipline, over the course of a few decades, has helped law enforcement agencies across the African continent to solve a myriad of crimes regardless of how they occurred (7). However, as the human population is constantly increasing, crime rates also parallel the latter. Crimes today are very sophisticated and as such must be addressed with advanced technologies and highly tested and prudent investigative procedures (8-10). Africa is still preparing to fight the predicted crimes. On the contrary, the context, structures, expertise and funding needed to make this a reality are not available. It is noteworthy that, little or no interest is raised in order to help various governments in different countries to allocate funds into forensic science research and development. This is very evident in their annual budget (11-13). This review seeks to highlight most of the improvements that forensic science has brought to the legal and criminal justice systems in some African countries such as Ghana, Nigeria and South Africa. It will discuss some of their challenges and then also suggest some necessary recommendations and solutions that can help alleviate such anomalies. Forensic Science Developments in African Countries The Ghanaian Perspective The first Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) in Ghana was established in 1948 under the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service (GPS) to serve as the main provider of Forensic services in the country has undergone some positive transformations. The £3 million funding for the revamp of the FSL received a notable increase in the sections of pharmaceutical chemistry and analysis, ballistics and firearms, document examination, photography and DNA analysis (14). The Ghanaian FSL provides quality scientific analysis to the public and private sector in Ghana while also strengthening criminal investigations. This helped exonerate and incarcerate the innocent and the perpetrators respectivelycrimes. It is also interesting to note that support for forensic education is gradually increasing. Some government and public tertiary institutions have acquired the necessary legalities and accreditations from the National Accreditation Board (NAB), to train and educate students venturing into this discipline. Some institutions have also been funded to periodically provide capacity building and training to law enforcement agencies to help fight crimes (15). Regardless of the successes that forensic science has brought to the criminal and justice systems, it is still up to us to identify the rapidly approaching challenges. Inadequate or adequate forensic science legislation, governance framework, quality assurance, accreditation and regulation, and forensic science research and development are some of the challenges facing advances in forensic science, such as described by (16) in their extensive review. It is therefore imperative on our part to help circumvent the above mentioned. The Nigerian and South African Perspectives Interestingly, forensic science since its introduction into the Nigerian criminal justice system has helped curtail heinous criminal activities such as cybercrime, armed robbery, fraud, corruption and kidnapping (17). To some extent, it is plausible that the Nigerian Police have adopted a higher level of security measures to help resolve these issues. With such a large population, close to approximately 182.6 million, identifying deviants and offenders using traditional investigative methods will be challenging (18). Although kidnapping and terrorism are one of the most prevalent crimes in Nigeria, they are not left unattended. Several cases like this have been thoroughly addressed using internationally accepted and protected methodologies combined with modern forensic principles to carry out such gory acts. The establishment of a laboratory of the forensic unit of the national police was also instrumental in this proceeding. It is well known that unknown and sophisticated criminals are constantly evolving to maneuver them through the grip of the law. This created a 'paradoxical tension', “think like a thief, so you can catch him” (19). In retrospect, each discipline of forensic science in South Africa has its own distinct history. Because of the domination imposed by segregated authorities and Eurocentric African traditions. It is seen in division and racism in all aspects of the system (20). The new democratic South Africa has seen little progress. Drastic changes were witnessed in forensic science as well as other spheres of society. There was therefore a need for high regulation of such professions by the Statuary Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCA). As reported by (21), the influx of illegal migrants and other foreigners into the country has increased the crime rate and therefore this had to be at a bare minimum. These regulations have gradually transformed into solid legislation and policies supported by the Constitution to combat and codonate crimes (22). Despite the improvements mentioned above, most African countries still face threatening and challenging problems with forensic science legislation and integration into the criminal justice system as described by (23–25). Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Conclusion and Recommendations This review reveals that it is appropriate for us to invest more in forensic science research and development. It will help create the necessary enabling environment through the implementation of laws and policies,,. 2013.