African Perspectives on Governance and Development.
Closing the distance between knowledge and policy.
Africa is a continent of extraordinary richness — in people, in culture, in scholarship, and in the complexity of the challenges its communities are navigating. It is also a continent where the distance between the knowledge being generated on the ground and the decisions being made at the policy table remains far too wide.
African Perspectives on Governance and Development (APGD) exists to close that distance.
Published under Virtue Literacy Africa, the APGD is an open-access, peer-reviewed academic journal providing a rigorous, internationally visible platform for African and Africanist researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and scholars to publish evidence-based research that contributes to sustainable development, informed policymaking, and the long-term project of building systems that genuinely serve Africa's people.
To become a leading African scholarly platform advancing knowledge, policy innovation, and sustainable development across the continent.
To publish rigorous, relevant, and impactful research that informs policy, strengthens governance, and contributes to Africa's social, economic, and human development.
African evidence, taken seriously.
Africa's development conversation is rich — but it has not always been led by African voices, grounded in African evidence, or shaped by the realities of African communities. Researchers working in the field, practitioners building programmes on the ground, and policymakers navigating complex challenges without adequate evidence to draw from deserve better. They deserve a platform that takes their work seriously, amplifies it rigorously, and ensures it reaches the institutions and decision-makers with the ability to act on it.
The APGD is that platform. And it is rooted in the same commitment that drives Virtue Literacy Africa's community programmes: that every contribution — whether made by a child telling their story in Kibera or a researcher publishing their findings in Nairobi — deserves to be seen, heard, and built upon.
Nine fields, one continent in view.
- 01Governance and Public Administration
- 02Law and Justice
- 03Political Science and International Relations
- 04Economics and Development Studies
- 05Education and Civic Empowerment
- 06Gender and Social Inclusion
- 07Technology, Innovation, and Digital Governance
- 08Environmental Sustainability and Climate Policy
- 09Peace, Conflict, and Post-Conflict Reconstruction
Open, rigorous, and timely.
- Open AccessFree to read, cite, and share globally.
- Double-Blind Peer ReviewAcademic rigour at every stage.
- Biannual PublicationJune and December editions.
- Online FirstAccepted articles published immediately upon acceptance.
Bring your work to the table.
The APGD welcomes submissions from researchers, academics, practitioners, and policymakers across Africa and the wider global scholarly community. We are particularly committed to amplifying African perspectives, indigenous knowledge systems, and evidence generated from practice on the ground.
We invite original research articles, policy analyses, review articles, and case studies that engage substantively with governance, development, and social innovation in the African context.
Our online submission portal is opening ahead of the inaugural issue. In the meantime, get in touch and our team will guide you through the process.
Independent, and built for rigour.
The APGD operates under an independent editorial structure comprising an Editorial Advisory Board of distinguished scholars and professionals, an Editor-in-Chief responsible for academic leadership and final publication decisions, a Managing Editor overseeing operations and author communications, and Associate Editors covering each thematic focus area. All published work undergoes rigorous double-blind peer review.
The editorial team will be announced ahead of the inaugural issue.
The Editorial Board, Editor-in-Chief, and Associate Editors are being confirmed now. Watch this space — or get in touch to register your interest in joining the board.
Help build a lasting platform for African scholarship.
Universities, research institutions, development partners, governments, and organisations committed to evidence-based development in Africa are invited to partner with the APGD. Partnership opportunities include institutional subscriptions, research grant collaboration, article sponsorship, and co-produced thematic editions on priority development and policy areas.