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Editorial Guideline - African Journal of Industrial Economics, Labour Relations and Cross-border Studies (AJIELRCS)
Aims and Scope
• The African Journal of Industrial Economics, Labour Relations and Cross-border Initiatives is a peer-reviewed academic publication dedicated to the rigorous analysis of the socio-economic, financial, and labour-market dynamics shaping Africa's structural transformation. It critically examines how regional integration policies, continental payment systems, and cross-border initiatives influence industrial development, labour mobility, and financial inclusion, with a particular focus on frameworks such as the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS). The journal provides a platform for scholarly work that bridges macroeconomic strategy with micro-level socio-economic realities, contributing to an evidence-based understanding of Africa's developmental challenges and opportunities.
Aims
The journal aims to advance interdisciplinary scholarship and inform policy in the intersecting fields of industrial economics, labour relations, development economics, and financial systems. It seeks to provide actionable, data-driven insights for scholars, policymakers, and industry leaders to navigate and maximise the benefits of continental integration. Specifically, the journal aims to:
1. Advance Scholarship: Promote theoretical innovation and robust empirical research on the determinants of industrial productivity, employment dynamics, and the developmental outcomes of regional integration and financial market development in Africa.
1. Advance Scholarship: Promote theoretical innovation and robust empirical research on the determinants of industrial productivity, employment dynamics, and the developmental outcomes of regional integration and financial market development in Africa.
2. Inform Policymaking: Offer rigorous, data-driven analyses that provide actionable intelligence for stakeholders including governments, regional bodies, and financial institutions to design and implement effective policies that foster inclusive and sustainable economic transformation.3. Foster Interdisciplinary Dialogue: Create a critical forum for debate on the complex interplay between economic asymmetries, labour rights, financial volatility, and human capital development, examining how these factors collectively shape the trajectory of African economies.
Scope
The journal's scope is multidisciplinary, spanning development economics, industrial economics, labour economics, financial economics, and international trade. The editors invite empirical, theoretical, and policy-oriented contributions that address the following core thematic areas, with a strong emphasis on the intersections between financial dynamics and developmental outcomes:
1. Inter-border Initiatives and Regional Integration- The economic, social, and developmental impacts of the AfCFTA, with a focus on real-sector outcomes and structural transformation.- The role of the PAPSS and other financial technologies in resolving historical complexities, accelerating intra-African trade transactions, reducing transaction costs, and enhancing financial deepening.- Economic analysis of regional value chains, customs unions, tariff harmonisation, and their implications for industrial competitiveness.- The developmental impact of cross-border infrastructure projects and their financing.
2. Industrial Economics and Structural Transformation- Strategies for sustainable industrialization, manufacturing growth, and economic diversification, critically assessing the role of finance in catalysing these processes.- The interplay between technology, digitalization, innovation, and financial inclusion in driving industrial competitiveness and productivity growth.- Analysis of foreign direct investment, resource-driven diversification, infrastructure development, and the macroeconomic policy frameworks that support them, including fiscal and monetary dimensions.- The role of financial development and institutional quality in moderating the relationship between energy, technology, and industrial growth.
3. Labour Relations and Human Capital- The impact of the free movement of people and regional trade policies on employment opportunities, labour mobility, and wage dynamics.- Comprehensive analysis of gender dynamics, the socio-economic impacts on informal cross-border traders, and the protection of labour rights.- Social dialogue, trade union participation, and the future of work within evolving African supply chains, with a focus on the socio-economic implications of technological change (i.e. the introduction of Artificial Intelligence, Automation etc.) and industrial policy.
4. Development Finance and Financial Dynamics- The correlation between financial development, financial volatility, and industrialisation in examining how domestic credit and external financial flows affect industrial growth.- The role of development finance institutions, innovative financial instruments, and investment climate reforms in promoting productive capacity.- Analysis of the macroeconomic impacts of regional payment systems, financial integration, and the financing of cross-border initiatives.- The interaction between financial systems, technological advancement, and industrial policy in fostering sustainable development.
1. Inter-border Initiatives and Regional Integration- The economic, social, and developmental impacts of the AfCFTA, with a focus on real-sector outcomes and structural transformation.- The role of the PAPSS and other financial technologies in resolving historical complexities, accelerating intra-African trade transactions, reducing transaction costs, and enhancing financial deepening.- Economic analysis of regional value chains, customs unions, tariff harmonisation, and their implications for industrial competitiveness.- The developmental impact of cross-border infrastructure projects and their financing.
2. Industrial Economics and Structural Transformation- Strategies for sustainable industrialization, manufacturing growth, and economic diversification, critically assessing the role of finance in catalysing these processes.- The interplay between technology, digitalization, innovation, and financial inclusion in driving industrial competitiveness and productivity growth.- Analysis of foreign direct investment, resource-driven diversification, infrastructure development, and the macroeconomic policy frameworks that support them, including fiscal and monetary dimensions.- The role of financial development and institutional quality in moderating the relationship between energy, technology, and industrial growth.
3. Labour Relations and Human Capital- The impact of the free movement of people and regional trade policies on employment opportunities, labour mobility, and wage dynamics.- Comprehensive analysis of gender dynamics, the socio-economic impacts on informal cross-border traders, and the protection of labour rights.- Social dialogue, trade union participation, and the future of work within evolving African supply chains, with a focus on the socio-economic implications of technological change (i.e. the introduction of Artificial Intelligence, Automation etc.) and industrial policy.
4. Development Finance and Financial Dynamics- The correlation between financial development, financial volatility, and industrialisation in examining how domestic credit and external financial flows affect industrial growth.- The role of development finance institutions, innovative financial instruments, and investment climate reforms in promoting productive capacity.- Analysis of the macroeconomic impacts of regional payment systems, financial integration, and the financing of cross-border initiatives.- The interaction between financial systems, technological advancement, and industrial policy in fostering sustainable development.
•The journal has a (Human) Virtual Editorial Assistant (VEA) who is attached to the journal’s editor and who liaises between the journal’s editor and the Authors. The VEA receives and acknowledges the receipt of papers on behalf of the editor. The VEA also creates a database of relevant reviewers and on the guidance of the editor, approaches potential reviewers with a list of articles available to be reviewed. This enables the potential reviewer to select from the list an article which he/she really has an interest it.
•The journal will be indexed by EBSCO and SABINET.
Our publishing model
Why do we charge a publication fee for some of our journals when we are not an open access publishing firm? The simple answer is that we embraced what is called a mixed publishing model. Given that revenue from journal subscription is rather paltry and grossly insufficient to sustain an ambitious publisher without the clout of the industry leaders, we decided to charge a modest publication fee of £150 per article for some of our journals while some are completely free. Currently we publish 45 journals out of which we charge publication fees on 17. For the journals we charge publication fee, we also make a percentage of the articles published in each issue of the journal available for the authors to publish on such open access platforms as Facebook, ResearchGate, LinkedIn etc. Our publication fee for AJBER is £250 because of the resource demand of the journal. For instance, while we have one Virtual Editorial Assistance to cover 2-3 journals, we have 3 VEAs to cover AJBER alone, which has a very high volume of submissions that averages more than 5 submissions per day (including weekends and public holidays).
Access to Digital Contents and Archival Policy
•Access to the digital contents of this journal is available through https://journals.co.za/journal/aa. All past issues of the journal can also be accessed using the same link. Payments apply.
•It is our mission to disseminate the intellectual work of our authors and editors to a maximum number of readers worldwide. Consequently, we have digitized our entire journal archive going back to volume one of each title making the complete history of all journals accessible online and also available in print.
Editorial Guidelines
Submission of article
•Submit only one copy of the manuscript with a separate cover page showing full author names, institutional affiliation and contact email address for all the Authors. Submission should be made to: info@adonis-abbey.com, copying editor@adonis-abbey.com. Submissions will be acknowledged electronically within 24 hours provided it is received on a working day.
Abstract
•The article must have an abstract of no more than 150 words. The abstract should give clear information about what the paper is about, method of data collection, the theoretical framework, key findings and key recommendations. It should also contain key words.
Why do we charge a publication fee for some of our journals when we are not an open access publishing firm? The simple answer is that we embraced what is called a mixed publishing model. Given that revenue from journal subscription is rather paltry and grossly insufficient to sustain an ambitious publisher without the clout of the industry leaders, we decided to charge a modest publication fee of £150 per article for some of our journals while some are completely free. Currently we publish 45 journals out of which we charge publication fees on 17. For the journals we charge publication fee, we also make a percentage of the articles published in each issue of the journal available for the authors to publish on such open access platforms as Facebook, ResearchGate, LinkedIn etc. Our publication fee for AJBER is £250 because of the resource demand of the journal. For instance, while we have one Virtual Editorial Assistance to cover 2-3 journals, we have 3 VEAs to cover AJBER alone, which has a very high volume of submissions that averages more than 5 submissions per day (including weekends and public holidays).
Access to Digital Contents and Archival Policy
•Access to the digital contents of this journal is available through https://journals.co.za/journal/aa. All past issues of the journal can also be accessed using the same link. Payments apply.
•It is our mission to disseminate the intellectual work of our authors and editors to a maximum number of readers worldwide. Consequently, we have digitized our entire journal archive going back to volume one of each title making the complete history of all journals accessible online and also available in print.
Editorial Guidelines
Submission of article
•Submit only one copy of the manuscript with a separate cover page showing full author names, institutional affiliation and contact email address for all the Authors. Submission should be made to: info@adonis-abbey.com, copying editor@adonis-abbey.com. Submissions will be acknowledged electronically within 24 hours provided it is received on a working day.
Abstract
•The article must have an abstract of no more than 150 words. The abstract should give clear information about what the paper is about, method of data collection, the theoretical framework, key findings and key recommendations. It should also contain key words.
Bridging the town-gown divide
To better bridge the gap between academia and the public sphere, our journals are introducing a new requirement. Starting from June 2026, our journal authors will be strongly encouraged to include a brief section in their papers outlining the practical relevance of their research for policymakers, alongside their theoretical contributions. This initiative reflects our commitment to ensuring that scholarly work drives meaningful change, particularly within the African context.
The manuscript
•The manuscript, including abstract, quotations, tabular material, notes, and references should be produced in Word, font size 12, and in the English language. It should be double-spaced, allowing one-inch margin on all sides. Where a special programme is required to read aspects of the manuscript, the Corresponding Author should send such a programme as a zip file to us or the link where the programme can be downloaded if it is free. The Corresponding Author is welcome to contact us on info@adonis-abbey.com to discuss how such a special programme can be sourced.
Tables, Figures, images and diagrams
•Type all tables, using a standard word processing programme and number them consecutively (eg Table 1; Figure 1). Authors should insert all Tables and Figures within the text to where they are cited.
The manuscript
•The manuscript, including abstract, quotations, tabular material, notes, and references should be produced in Word, font size 12, and in the English language. It should be double-spaced, allowing one-inch margin on all sides. Where a special programme is required to read aspects of the manuscript, the Corresponding Author should send such a programme as a zip file to us or the link where the programme can be downloaded if it is free. The Corresponding Author is welcome to contact us on info@adonis-abbey.com to discuss how such a special programme can be sourced.
Tables, Figures, images and diagrams
•Type all tables, using a standard word processing programme and number them consecutively (eg Table 1; Figure 1). Authors should insert all Tables and Figures within the text to where they are cited.
•Authors should ensure that the minimum resolution for any table, images, figures and diagrams is 300dpi.
•Authors should ensure that they have the copyright or permission to use any image in the article.
•Sources of figures, Tables and diagrams must be clearly indicated, using the Author’s surname and the page number of the publication where such sourced from. Example: Source: Ogbuefi, 2000:9).
Headings, Subheadings, Sub-sub headings, Sub- sub-sub headings (three levels)
Use three descending levels of headings consistently throughout the paper. This should be descriptive but brief.
HEADING
Headings, Subheadings, Sub-sub headings, Sub- sub-sub headings (three levels)
Use three descending levels of headings consistently throughout the paper. This should be descriptive but brief.
HEADING
•Put all your headings such as chapter headings in Bold CAP and centralize it.
Example: OBI IS A BOY
Sub-heading
Sub-heading
•Put your subheadings in bold, sentence case, and left justify it.
Example: Obi is a boy
Sub-sub heading
Sub-sub heading
•Put your sub-subheadings in italics, bold, sentence case and left justify it.
Example: Obi is a boy
Sub-sub-sub headings (three levels)
Sub-sub-sub headings (three levels)
Put your sub-sub-sub headings (three levels) in italics, without bold, sentence case and left justify.
Example: Obi is a boy
References
•The referencing style is APA 7th edition. Kindly download the link for examples on how to use the referencing style at: https://apastyle.apa.org/instructional-aids/reference-examples.pdf
American or British English?
•Authors are free to use American or British English in the writing of the article but should be consistent in whichever option they choose.
Footnotes
•Authors can use Footnotes (not Endnotes) for amplifying some issues in the article but this should be kept to a minimum.
Author’s copy
•Authors will receive a soft copy (PDF) of their article. The PDF version of the article which they approved for press is their softcopy of the article. •Authors can demand for a complimentary print copy of the issue of the journal in which their article is published if they paid the full publication fee. Such can be sent to the Corresponding Author free of charge from our UK address by ordinary post. Authors who want this to be sent to them by courier will have to pay the courier cost which will be communicated to the Author on request (the cost will often depend on the weight of the book and the destination).
Publication fees
The Journal currently does not charge publication fee.
Professionally proofread-manuscripts
References
•The referencing style is APA 7th edition. Kindly download the link for examples on how to use the referencing style at: https://apastyle.apa.org/instructional-aids/reference-examples.pdf
American or British English?
•Authors are free to use American or British English in the writing of the article but should be consistent in whichever option they choose.
Footnotes
•Authors can use Footnotes (not Endnotes) for amplifying some issues in the article but this should be kept to a minimum.
Author’s copy
•Authors will receive a soft copy (PDF) of their article. The PDF version of the article which they approved for press is their softcopy of the article. •Authors can demand for a complimentary print copy of the issue of the journal in which their article is published if they paid the full publication fee. Such can be sent to the Corresponding Author free of charge from our UK address by ordinary post. Authors who want this to be sent to them by courier will have to pay the courier cost which will be communicated to the Author on request (the cost will often depend on the weight of the book and the destination).
Publication fees
The Journal currently does not charge publication fee.
Professionally proofread-manuscripts
•All manuscripts must be spell and grammar checked by a professional English language editor. Authors are encouraged to attach evidence of professional proofreading/editing when submitting their papers. The journal reserves the right to refuse to publish an article if it deems the paper poorly proofread for language and grammar.
•Should authors want the journal to do the proofreading for them; this will be at an additional cost of £100 (Effective April 1, 2026, we are reducing our proofreading fee from £100 to £50 per article).
Subscription Price
•The annual subscription Price for the African Journal of Industrial Economics, Labour Relations and Inter-border Initiatives) is GBP80 for institutions and GBP60 for individuals (for print and online access by password).
Subscription Price
•The annual subscription Price for the African Journal of Industrial Economics, Labour Relations and Inter-border Initiatives) is GBP80 for institutions and GBP60 for individuals (for print and online access by password).
•For loose copy sale (excluding postage and packaging), the price is GBP45.
•To subscribe or for access by indexing bodies, please contact Erika Janse van Rensburg at: info@sabinet.co.za
Special Issues and Supplements
The publication of a special issue of the journal is subject to the following terms and conditions:
•The papers to be published in a special issue of the journal must have relevance to Africa and fit into the journal’s focus. Themes not dealing with Africa, but which could be of relevance to African scholarship will also be considered. For instance if the requesting institution is from a non-African country, each paper should have a section discussing its relevance to African scholarship.
•Special issues should be either papers from conference proceedings or special themes.
•The journal cannot be used to advertise any conference or special theme. This is because unless a paper has gone through the normal review processes, the journal cannot give a guarantee that it will publish papers from any conference or special theme.
•Article reviews by the requesting institution should be on the journal’s Review Form and the review must be in line with the journal’s normal peer-review processes (see https://adonis-abbey.com/review-process.php?id=2&jl=1&jid=81)
•Articles accepted for publication by the requesting institution should be accompanied by two completed peer-reviewed forms per article, a correction log indicating how the author(s) have addressed the reviewers’ comments (with page numbers where possible), plagiarism test for the article, completed copyright forms and evidence of professional proofreading where available.
•No author shall have more than one article (singly or jointly) in the special issue.
•A publication fee of one hundred and Eighty-five British pounds (£185) per accepted paper is applicable.
•The requesting institution pays up front £200 which is the honorarium to be paid to the substantive editor of the journal or any other senior scholar chosen by the publisher to vet the articles selected by the requesting institution. This sum is deducted from the total publication fees to be paid by the requesting institution. But the sum is nonrefundable if the journal’s substantive editor or any other scholar chosen by the publisher to vet the papers rejects the articles selected by the requesting institution or the requesting institution fails to satisfactorily implement the corrections suggested by the substantive editor of the journal or any other scholar chosen by the publisher to vet the papers. The journal’s substantive editor (or any other scholar chosen by the publisher) to vet the papers selected by the requesting institution has to be satisfied that the recommended corrections have been satisfactorily implemented before those papers will be published.
•Extra page fees apply for articles that exceed the journal’s word-limit of 6,000. Articles of more than 6000 words and up to 7000 words attract a page fee of £50, while articles of more than 7000 words up to 8000 words, attract additional page fee of £50. The journal does not accept articles that are more than 8000 words.
•There shall be a maximum of 15 articles on each special issue of the journal. An institutional with more papers can however publish the papers on a number of special issues – subject to the same terms and conditions for publishing new special issues.
•The requesting institution will, on request, be given five print copies of the journal and these shall be sent by courier to one designated address in any country.
Special Issues and Supplements
The publication of a special issue of the journal is subject to the following terms and conditions:
•The papers to be published in a special issue of the journal must have relevance to Africa and fit into the journal’s focus. Themes not dealing with Africa, but which could be of relevance to African scholarship will also be considered. For instance if the requesting institution is from a non-African country, each paper should have a section discussing its relevance to African scholarship.
•Special issues should be either papers from conference proceedings or special themes.
•The journal cannot be used to advertise any conference or special theme. This is because unless a paper has gone through the normal review processes, the journal cannot give a guarantee that it will publish papers from any conference or special theme.
•Article reviews by the requesting institution should be on the journal’s Review Form and the review must be in line with the journal’s normal peer-review processes (see https://adonis-abbey.com/review-process.php?id=2&jl=1&jid=81)
•Articles accepted for publication by the requesting institution should be accompanied by two completed peer-reviewed forms per article, a correction log indicating how the author(s) have addressed the reviewers’ comments (with page numbers where possible), plagiarism test for the article, completed copyright forms and evidence of professional proofreading where available.
•No author shall have more than one article (singly or jointly) in the special issue.
•A publication fee of one hundred and Eighty-five British pounds (£185) per accepted paper is applicable.
•The requesting institution pays up front £200 which is the honorarium to be paid to the substantive editor of the journal or any other senior scholar chosen by the publisher to vet the articles selected by the requesting institution. This sum is deducted from the total publication fees to be paid by the requesting institution. But the sum is nonrefundable if the journal’s substantive editor or any other scholar chosen by the publisher to vet the papers rejects the articles selected by the requesting institution or the requesting institution fails to satisfactorily implement the corrections suggested by the substantive editor of the journal or any other scholar chosen by the publisher to vet the papers. The journal’s substantive editor (or any other scholar chosen by the publisher) to vet the papers selected by the requesting institution has to be satisfied that the recommended corrections have been satisfactorily implemented before those papers will be published.
•Extra page fees apply for articles that exceed the journal’s word-limit of 6,000. Articles of more than 6000 words and up to 7000 words attract a page fee of £50, while articles of more than 7000 words up to 8000 words, attract additional page fee of £50. The journal does not accept articles that are more than 8000 words.
•There shall be a maximum of 15 articles on each special issue of the journal. An institutional with more papers can however publish the papers on a number of special issues – subject to the same terms and conditions for publishing new special issues.
•The requesting institution will, on request, be given five print copies of the journal and these shall be sent by courier to one designated address in any country.
•The journal typically considers a maximum of one special issue per year, though two may be published under special circumstances.
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