Journal of African Law

Aims & Scope

The Journal of African Law has been in existence for over 60 years and in that time has reflected changing trends in law and legal reform.

The earlier focus on legal pluralism and customary law has evolved to include a focus on issues of international law in the African context, legal and institutional regional and sub-regional developments, post conflict resolution, constitutionalism, commercial law and environmental law.

In recent years the Journal has published articles ranging from the Sharia debate in Nigeria, LGBT rights in Malawi, the new constitutional dispensation in Southern Sudan to case notes including on the rights of indigenous peoples under the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.

The Journal welcomes articles on all legal issues pertaining to the African continent in its entirety.

It particularly invites articles that have a regional or sub-regional, comparative or cross-cutting dimension, and which focus on major challenges and developments across the continent.

The Journal of African Law now also invites special issue or special section proposals on themes falling within its remit.

Metrics & Ranking

Abstracting & Indexing

Journal is indexed in leading academic databases, ensuring global visibility and accessibility of our peer-reviewed research.

• Scopus
• Google Scholar
• Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ)
• Web of Science

Subjects & Keywords

Journal’s research areas, covering key disciplines and specialized sub-topics in Social Sciences, designed to support cutting-edge academic discovery.

Licensing & Copyright

This journal operates under an Open Access model. Articles are freely accessible to the public immediately upon publication. The content is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0), allowing users to share and adapt the work with proper attribution.

Copyright remains with the author(s), and no permission is required for non-commercial use, provided the original source is cited.

Policy Links

This section provides access to essential policy documents, guidelines, and resources related to the journal’s publication and submission processes.

• Aims scope
• Homepage
• Oa statement
• Author instructions
• License terms
• Review url
• Board url
• Copyright url
• Apc url
• License

Most Cited Articles

The Most Cited Articles section features the journal's most impactful research, based on citation counts. These articles have been referenced frequently by other researchers, indicating their significant contribution to their respective fields.

• THE TENSION BETWEEN JUSTICE AND RECONCILIATION IN RWANDA: POLITICS, HUMAN RIGHTS, DUE PROCESS AND THE ROLE OF THE GACACA COURTS IN DEALING WITH THE GENOCIDE

  Citation: 47

  Authors: Jeremy

• The Effect of Registration of Title Upon Customary Land Rights in Kenya

  Citation: 45

  Authors: Simon

• Legal Pluralism and the Search for Justice

  Citation: 43

  Authors: Gordon R.

• Ethnicity and constitutionalism in contemporary Ethiopia

  Citation: 39

  Authors: Jon

• Gender trauma in Africa: enhancing women's links to resources

  Citation: 38

  Authors: Sylvia

• “In the Public Interest”: Forced Evictions, Land Rights and Human Development in Africa

  Citation: 37

  Authors: Paul D

• Corporate Social Responsibility, Multinational Corporations and the Law in Nigeria: Controlling Multinationals in Host States

  Citation: 31

  Authors: Olufemi O

• High Bridewealth, Migrant Labour and the Position of Women in Lesotho

  Citation: 31

  Authors: Colin

• Marriage and Extra-Marital Sexuality: The Dialectics of Legal Change among the Kgatla

  Citation: 29

  Authors: John L., Simon

• Tenure Security: Wishful Policy Thinking or Reality? A Case from Peri-Urban Ghana

  Citation: 29

  Authors: Janine M