The African Journal for Rural Development: A demonstration of a network of universities as a learning organization responsive to stakeholder recommendations

Rural development is key for the developing nations in Africa. The field is heavily centered on exploitation of land-intensive natural resources. Africa faces a myriad of challenges which offer a fertile ground for research and development. Universities and institutions of higher learning have a critical role to play in articulating these challenges to stakeholders as part of a process of generating knowledge. Given the design and scope of higher degree training and research, higher education institutions (HEIs) generate colossal amounts of knowledge as a contribution to innovations. Nonetheless, in the case of Africa the fact that HEIs generate colossal knowledge is not reflected in the global innovations index (GII). Much of the scholarly work remains unpublished and yet academic research is only relevant if its outputs are shared for uptake pathways and application. It is in light of these challenges that the Principals and Deans Committee of the Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM) at a foresight and planning meeting recommended the creation of a Journal. The RUFORUM is a Network of Universities in Africa and the Principals and Deans Committee constitute an important organ in governance and implementation of the Network’s mission. The idea of creating a journal was conceived as part of a decade of celebrating RUFORUM’s contribution to higher education in Africa. It was a surprise that despite relevant research focusing on rural development and its broad ramifications there was no (except at sub-regional level) journal in Africa dedicated to this important area. Thus, the African Journal of Rural Development (AJRD) was launched in November, 2014. The need for the AJRD was further inspired by experiences from implementation by RUFORUM Secretariat and member universities of Science, Technology and Innovation Projects supported by the European Union. These projects underscored the need for enhancing university outreach programs to secure increased reach and impact of agricultural technologies among rural communities. The AJRD is now a highly sought after scholarly outlet for research dissemination, linking and articulating research into-use to various stakeholders, including policy-decision makers. It is a peer-reviewed open access journal whose aim is to share knowledge on all aspects that contribute to sustainable and inclusive rural development. The AJRD is an example among many other undertakings that positions RUFORUM as a learning organization responsive to stakeholder recommendations.