As part of the submission process, authors are required to check off their submission's compliance with all of the following items, and submissions may be returned to authors that do not adhere to these guidelines.
All submissions must meet the following requirements.
This submission meets the requirements outlined in the Author Guidelines.
This submission has not been previously published, nor is it before another journal for consideration.
All references have been checked for accuracy and completeness.
All tables and figures have been numbered and labeled.
Permission has been obtained to publish all photos, datasets and other material provided with this submission.
Author Guidelines
Authors are invited to make a submission to this journal. All submissions will be assessed by an editor to determine whether they meet the aims and scope of this journal. Those considered to be a good fit will be sent for peer review before determining whether they will be accepted or rejected.
Before making a submission, authors are responsible for obtaining permission to publish any material included with the submission, such as photos, documents and datasets. All authors identified on the submission must consent to be identified as an author. Where appropriate, research should be approved by an appropriate ethics committee in accordance with the legal requirements of the study's country.
An editor may desk reject a submission if it does not meet minimum standards of quality. Before submitting, please ensure that the study design and research argument are structured and articulated properly. The title should be concise and the abstract should be able to stand on its own. This will increase the likelihood of reviewers agreeing to review the paper. When you're satisfied that your submission meets this standard, please follow the checklist below to prepare your submission.
The Journal of African Development Horizons (JAFDH) is an open-access, peer-reviewed, international multidisciplinary journal dedicated to advancing research, policy analysis, and innovative solutions for Africa’s sustainable development.
Our Vision
Our vision is to create a global platform that bridges the gap between development research and real-world applications in Africa and beyond. We aim to inspire, engage, and challenge our readers and contributors to look beyond traditional disciplinary boundaries and think critically about the role of development studies in addressing contemporary societal issues.
Our Mission
The Journal of African Development Horizons (JAFDH) is committed to publishing high-quality, peer-reviewed research that advances sustainable development, policy innovation, and inclusive growth across Africa. We provide a dynamic platform for disseminating context-specific knowledge and solutions that address economic, social, governance, and environmental challenges. By bridging research, policy, and practice, JAFDH empowers scholars, policymakers, and practitioners to shape Africa’s development future
Our Aims
Economic growth, poverty reduction, and inclusive development
Governance, peace, and institutional strengthening
Sustainable environment, climate resilience, and green economy
Education, health, youth empowerment, and human capital development
Digital transformation, innovation, and technology for development
Rural development, agriculture, entrepreneurship, and regional integration
Manuscript Preparation
Language: All manuscripts must be in English. Authors whose first language is not English may want to have their manuscript professionally edited before submission to improve readability.
Word Processing Formats: Acceptable formats for your manuscript are Word (DOC, DOCX).
Article Length: Articles should be between 5000 and 8000 words in length. This includes all text, for example, the structured abstract, references, all text in tables, and figures and appendices.
Abstract: All articles must have a structured abstract that states in 250 words or fewer the purpose, methodology, findings, originality, and research implications of the study.
Keywords: Please provide up to 10 keywords on the title page which encapsulate the principal topics of the paper.
Citations and References: Authors are responsible for ensuring that their manuscripts conform to the journal citation style. All references must be complete and accurate.
Figures and Tables: Include all figures and tables in the manuscript PDF file. Figures and tables should not be submitted in separate files.
Submission Process
Submission: Manuscripts should be submitted online. The submission system will prompt you to enter the necessary information about your manuscript.
Peer Review: The journal operates a double-blind peer review process. Authors must ensure that their names and affiliations do not appear anywhere in the manuscript.
Revision: Based on the feedback received from the reviewers, authors may be required to revise their manuscripts.
Acceptance and Publication: Authors will be asked to complete a ‘Journal Publishing Agreement.
Review Process
TheJournal of African Development Horizons (JAFDH) follows a rigorous double-blind peer review process to ensure the highest standards of academic integrity. Here’s a step-by-step overview of our review process:
Initial Screening: All submissions undergo an initial screening to check for completeness, adherence to our submission guidelines, and overall fit with the journal’s scope.
Double-Blind Peer Review: If a manuscript passes the initial screening, it is sent to at least two independent reviewers in the relevant field. The identities of both the authors and reviewers are kept confidential to ensure an unbiased review process.
Review Reports: Reviewers are asked to evaluate the manuscript based on its originality, methodological soundness, and the relevance and clarity of the presentation. They provide a detailed report with comments for the author and recommendations for the editor.
Author Revisions: Authors may be asked to revise their manuscript based on the reviewers' feedback. We encourage authors to revise and resubmit their manuscript, addressing the reviewers’ comments.
Final Decision: The Editor-in-Chief makes the final decision on whether to accept or reject a manuscript, considering the reviewers’ comments and the manuscript’s contribution to the field.
Publication: Upon acceptance, the manuscript is published online in the next available issue of the journal.
We are committed to providing constructive feedback and a fair, unbiased evaluation of all submissions.
Copyright Notice
JAFDH operates under the following copyright policy:
Author’s Rights: As an author, you retain the copyright to your work. You also retain the right to use your article in the following ways, as long as you do not sell it or give it away in ways that would conflict with our commercial business interests:
Use it for personal use and internal institutional use.
Make copies of the article for educational purposes.
Use it as part of a lecture or presentation.
Use it in a subsequent compilation of your works.
Extend the article into book-length form.
Use it for other scholarly and professional activities.
Journal’s Rights: Upon acceptance of an article, authors will be asked to complete a ‘Journal Publishing Agreement’. Under this agreement, authors grant the JAFDH the exclusive right to publish and distribute their article, and to create adaptations and extracts from the article, in all formats and media worldwide.
Open Access: All articles published by the JAFDH are made freely available online immediately upon publication, without subscription charges or registration barriers. Authors or their institutions pay an article publication charge to cover the costs of publishing.
