The Institute for Oil, Gas, Energy, Environment and Sustainable Development (OGEES) at Afe Babalola University in Ado-Ekiti in southwest Nigeria, has initiated a project to boost the quality, sustainability and impact of the Journal of Sustainable Development Law and Policy (JSDLP), and to build capacity of and share knowledge with other African journals, especially those in the southwest region of Nigeria.

JSDLP, a peer reviewed no-fee open access journal, is published biannually by OGEES. Launched in 2013, it is Nigeria’s first interdisciplinary sustainable development journal, and disseminates research results and scholarly papers by teaching and research scholars from Africa and across the world.

The journal has experienced considerable growth in submissions and readership since 2013, and its success has shown several areas where the journal can further improve and expand its reach. Current human resources (the journal relies on part-time editorial assistants) and infrastructure are being stretched to accommodate the growing volume of submissions and website traffic. Investment in robust journal workflow management software is needed to automate and streamline all aspects of the manuscript management/ editorial workflow, including submission, plagiarism detection and peer-review, to ensure the highest standards of quality and integrity.

Afe Babalola University’s project, which seeks to address these issues, is one of 17 that have received grant support through a three-year project to strengthen no-fee open access publishing in Africa implemented by EIFL, AJOL (African Journals Online) and WACREN (the West and Central African Research and Education Network), with funding from Wellcome.

Timeline

October 2024 - September 2025

Activities

• Implement the latest version of Open Journal Systems (OJS); 
• Recruit and train a full-time editorial assistant who will provide focused support for the journal including handling journal production, marketing, visibility and developing strategic partnerships and collaborations with other journals and institutions;
• Launch a series of workshops and seminars for editors, reviewers and authors on editorial best practices, research integrity, and publication ethics;

More about the Journal of Sustainable Development Law and Policy.