Reports from projects aiming to strengthen the quality and sustainability of African no-fee open access (OA) publishing are continuing to come in, and we take pleasure in sharing results from three projects, in Mozambique, Nigeria and South Africa.

The projects are among 17 projects in nine countries that were awarded grants in 2024 through the three-year ‘Collaboration for Sustainable Open Access Publishing in Africa' project, funded by Welcome. The grants specifically target no-fee OA (Diamond OA) journals and journal platforms. Diamond OA means that the journals do not charge any fees for publishing or reading articles. 

Mozambique: Revista Científica da UEM: Série Letras e Ciências Sociais

The Revista Científica da UEM: Série Letras e Ciências Sociais is published by Universidade Eduardo Mondlane (UEM). The aim of the journal is to disseminate the findings of scientific research in the fields of Social Sciences and Humanities, Arts, Administration, Journalism and Information. The project improved the quality, visibility, and management of the journal. Training enhanced knowledge and skills of the editorial team, and participation in meetings of the No-fee OA Community of Practice in Africa (CoP) and use of the ‘EIFL guide, Quality in Diamond Open Access Publishing: guidelines, policies, and templates’, enabled the editorial team to revise and improve the journal’s policies and author guidelines. The project also improved technical infrastructure and upgraded the publishing platform to OJS 3.5.

Read more about new developments at the Revista Científica da UEM: Série Letras e Ciências Sociais.

Nigeria: Journal of Sustainable Development Law and Policy

The Journal of Sustainable Development Law and Policy (JSDLP) is Nigeria’s first interdisciplinary sustainable development journal. Published by the Institute for Oil, Gas, Energy, Environment and Sustainable Development (OGEES) at Afe Babalola University (ABUAD), the journal bridges legal, policy, and sustainable development discourse, filling a critical gap in Africa’s scholarly landscape. The grant enabled OJEES to strengthen the operations of the JSDLP by building editorial capacity through staff recruitment and training; to upgrade the journal’s digital management and publishing system, and to promote knowledge exchange through workshops. 

Read more about new developments at the Journal of Sustainable Development Law and Policy.

South Africa: Journal of Journal of Construction Project Management and Innovation

The Journal of Construction Project Management and Innovation (JCPMI), hosted by the University of Johannesburg, is dedicated to advancing knowledge, practice and innovation within the construction and built environment disciplines. The project supported JCPMI to improve operational efficiency, enhance the quality of published research, and strengthen its regional and global standing. Targeted in-person workshops and webinars across South Africa, Ghana, Nigeria and Rwanda have expanded the journal’s pool of authors, reviewers and editorial assistants. To strengthen and support editorial processes and workflows, and enhance output, the journal trained a corps of editorial associates and assistants. 

Read more about new developments at the Journal of Journal of Construction Project Management and Innovation.

See the results of five projects, shared previously, to strengthen OA journals in Africa - 

Ghana: Five journals hosted by the University of Ghana Journal Management Services: Contemporary Journal of African Studies; Ghana Journal of Geography; Ghana Journal of Religion and Theology; Health Sciences Investigations Journal, and Science and Development Journal. 

South Africa: 

• African Journal of Information and Communication (AJIC)
• Journal of Student Affairs in Africa (JSAA)
• South African Journal of Science
• Image & Text 

We look forward to sharing more project results as the reports come in.