Over the last few years the significance of medical mycology in Africa has grown enormously. The dramatic increase of Cryptococcosis in the Southern part of the continent is an obvious example. Mycetoma, Histoplasmosis and dermatophyte infections are other major disease categories. The newly founded Africa Fund for Fungal Biodiversity and Mycotic Infections has taken the initiative to organize a symposium on mycological problems which are endemic to the African continent, including themes where African scientists have achieved major breakthroughs. This 1-day symposium will be held on 25 January, 2005 in conjunction with the 43rd congress of the Southern African Society for Plant Pathology (SASPP) and under the auspices of the International Society for Human and Animal Mycology (ISHAM) and the European Confederation of Medical Mycology (ECMM).