Tropical forests in Africa are among the most diverse and productive ecosystems on earth and provide essential services to the African society including storing biomass and carbon, absorbing human-caused carbon emissions, and helping to stabilize climate and water cycles. However, Africa is forecasted to face a significant climate change and population growth in the 21st century, which poses serious risks to this world's second largest rainforest. To protect and sustainably manage African forests, it is necessary to have a deeper understanding of their structural and compositional dynamics. While some characteristics of these forests can be  studied using modern remote sensing techniques, long-term ground-based measurements remain crucial for answering a wide range of ecological questions, providing information for and verifying ecosystem models, or helping to interpret data obtained remotely.