Please find attached our manuscript entitled “Assessment of Africa’s Position in the Development of Smart Systems for Environmental Monitoring in Smart Cities”, which we wish to submit for consideration as a Full Length Article in Scientific African. This manuscript presents a bibliometric analysis of the scientific literature on smart systems for environmental monitoring in smart cities, with particular emphasis on Africa’s position in the global research landscape. Using data retrieved from the Scopus database and analyzed through Bibliometrix/Biblioshiny and VOSviewer, the study examines publication trends, leading contributors, collaboration networks, and dominant research themes in this field. The findings show that research on smart environmental monitoring has expanded considerably in recent years, driven by developments in embedded systems, Internet of Things technologies, sensor networks, and artificial intelligence. However, the results also indicate that Africa remains marginal in terms of scientific output, institutional visibility, and participation in international collaboration networks. By highlighting this gap, the manuscript provides useful insights for strengthening research capacity, scientific cooperation, and sustainable urban environmental monitoring across the continent. We believe that this manuscript fits well within the scope of Scientific African because it addresses an interdisciplinary topic at the intersection of environmental sustainability, smart city development, and engineering innovation, while also contributing to a better understanding of Africa’s scientific participation in an important emerging field. We confirm that this manuscript is original, has not been published previously, and is not under consideration for publication elsewhere.

Please find attached our manuscript titled "Assessment of Africa's Position in the Development of Smart Systems for Environmental Monitoring in Smart Cities," which we are submitting for consideration as a Full Length Article in Scientific African. Our manuscript offers a bibliometric analysis of scientific literature focused on smart systems for environmental monitoring within smart cities, specifically examining where Africa stands in the global research community. We gathered data from the Scopus database and conducted our analysis using Bibliometrix/Biblioshiny and VOSviewer tools to investigate publication patterns, key contributors, collaborative networks, and major research topics in this area. Our results reveal that research into smart environmental monitoring has grown substantially over recent years, fueled by advances in embedded systems, Internet of Things technologies, sensor networks, and artificial intelligence. Nevertheless, our findings demonstrate that Africa holds a peripheral position regarding scientific contributions, institutional recognition, and involvement in international research collaborations. Through identifying this disparity, our manuscript offers valuable perspectives for enhancing research capabilities, fostering scientific partnerships, and promoting sustainable urban environmental monitoring throughout the continent. We consider this manuscript appropriate for Scientific African as it explores an interdisciplinary subject that combines environmental sustainability, smart city advancement, and engineering innovation, while simultaneously enhancing understanding of Africa's scientific engagement in this significant emerging area. We verify that this manuscript represents original work, has not been published before, and is not currently being reviewed by any other publication.