The African Journal of AI for Development (AFJAD) is an open-access, peer-reviewed, international multidisciplinary journal dedicated to advancing research, innovation, and the responsible application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) for sustainable development across Africa.
AFJAD provides a platform for researchers, technologists, policymakers, educators, and development practitioners to share original research, case studies, and critical reviews on how AI technologies can address Africa's developmental challenges and opportunities. The journal welcomes theoretical, empirical, and applied contributions across (but not limited to) the following areas:
AI applications in healthcare, agriculture, education, and energy
Machine learning and data science for development outcomes
AI governance, ethics, and policy in African contexts
Digital infrastructure and AI readiness
Socioeconomic impacts of AI adoption
Responsible and inclusive AI design
AFJAD publishes original research articles, review articles, case studies, and short communications. All submissions undergo double-blind peer review (see Peer Review Process below).
Peer Review Process
AFJAD follows a rigorous double-blind peer-review process to ensure academic integrity:
Initial Screening— Completeness, adherence to guidelines, and scope fit.
Double-Blind Peer Review— At least two independent reviewers evaluate originality, methodological soundness, relevance, and clarity.
Review Reports and Revisions— Authors receive constructive feedback and may be invited to revise and resubmit.
Final Decision— The Editor-in-Chief decides based on reviewers’ reports and the manuscript’s contribution.
Publication— Accepted manuscripts are published online in the next available issue.
Authors must ensure manuscripts do not contain identifying information for double-blind review. Upon acceptance, authors complete a Journal Publishing Agreement.
Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement
AFJAD is committed to upholding the highest standards of publication ethics, in line with the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidelines. The journal expects:
Authors to submit original, unpublished work and to disclose any conflicts of interest or funding sources
Authors to accurately represent their research and avoid data fabrication, falsification, or plagiarism
Reviewers to provide objective, timely, and confidential evaluations, and to disclose any conflicts of interest
Editors to make unbiased decisions based solely on academic merit, independent of authors' nationality, institution, gender, or beliefs
Allegations of misconduct are investigated in accordance with COPE guidelines, and appropriate corrective action (correction, retraction, or notice) is taken when warranted.
Open Access Policy
AFJAD is a fully open-access journal. All published content is freely available to readers and institutions without subscription or paywall, immediately upon publication. Readers never pay to access, download, or reuse published articles; publication costs are instead met by an Article Processing Charge paid by authors upon acceptance (see 1.6). Articles are published under a [Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence, allowing free reuse with proper attribution to the original authors and source.
Article Processing Charge (APC)
AFJEI is a fully open-access journal supported by an Article Processing Charge (APC) paid by authors (or their institution/funder) upon acceptance of a manuscript for publication. There is no charge for submission or peer review. The APC is only payable once a manuscript has been accepted.
Standard APC: NGN 35,000 / USD 40 per accepted article.
The APC covers editorial processing, peer review coordination, copyediting, typesetting, DOI registration, and permanent open-access hosting. Payment does not influence editorial decisions, all manuscripts are assessed on scholarly merit prior to any request for payment.
Plagiarism Screening Policy
All submitted manuscripts are screened for originality prior to being sent for peer review. Manuscripts with a similarity index above 10% are returned to the author for revision or rejected outright, depending on severity.
Author Guidelines (summary)
Language: English (professional editing recommended for non-native speakers).
Format: Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx).
Length: 5,000–8,000 words (including abstract, references, tables, figures, and appendices).
Abstract: Structured abstract of ≤250 words covering purpose, methodology, findings, originality, and research implications.
Keywords: Up to 10.
References: Complete and accurate; must conform to the journal’s citation style.
Figures and Tables: Included in the manuscript.
Ethics: Appropriate ethics approval where required; all authors must consent; permissions obtained for third-party material.
Originality: Not previously published or under consideration elsewhere.
Submissions are made online via the journal’s system. Manuscripts that do not meet minimum quality standards may be desk-rejected.
Copyright Notice
Authors who publish with AFJAD retain copyright of their work and grant the journal right of first publication. Authors are free to share and disseminate their published work, provided the original publication in AFJAD is acknowledged.
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 African Journal of AI for Development (AFJAD) is an open-access, peer-reviewed, international multidisciplinary journal dedicated to advancing research, innovation, and responsible application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) for sustainable development across Africa.
Our Vision
Our vision is to create a global platform that bridges the gap between AI research and real-world applications for development 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 AI in addressing contemporary societal issues.
Our Mission
The African Journal of AI for Development (AFJAD) is committed to publishing high-quality, peer-reviewed research that advances responsible AI solutions for sustainable development and societal impact across Africa. We provide a dynamic platform for disseminating innovative, context-specific AI knowledge and applications that address key development challenges. By bridging research, policy, industry, and practice, AFJAD empowers researchers, policymakers, and practitioners with ethical and inclusive AI-driven solutions.
Our Aims
AI for agriculture, food security, and climate resilience
AI applications in healthcare, education, and human capital development
AI for governance, smart cities, and digital public services
Ethical AI, data sovereignty, and responsible innovation
AI-driven entrepreneurship, fintech, and economic empowerment
Machine learning, computer vision, NLP, and robotics for development challenges
Policy frameworks, capacity building, and AI ecosystem development in Africa
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
AFRICAN JOURNAL OF AI FOR DEVELOPMENT (AFJAD) 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
AFJAD 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 AFJAD 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 AFJAD 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.
