Lightning research: where do we go from here?

Thunderstorm activity in most of tropical Africa greatly exceeds that in industrialised countries, and lightning thus becomes a special problem for the tropical areas of the developing world of today. While research has produced many statistics, facts and theories concerning lightning phenomena, which are reviewed by the author, it also reveals many gaps and unknowns which must be taken account of in interpreting existing data. This leads finally to what in the author´s opinion are the priorities for future lightning research especially in the context of Africa. Topics discussed by the author include thundercloud charge distribution, lightning strokes to earth, upward flashes, the attractive range of lightning, ground flash density, power line protection, buildings protection, and human and livestock protection