Conference Theme:

• Historical, theoretical and conceptual perspectives on innovation and development
• Political economy challenges for innovation in Africa
• Digital revolution, AI, and the African gig economy
• The creative sector, arts, and innovation
• African knowledge traditions and innovation systems
• Sustainability-oriented innovation (energy, water, agriculture, manufacturing, etc.)
• Innovation policies and socio-economic transformation (STISA 2034, Agenda 2063, SDGs)
• Financing innovation in key economic sectors
• Innovation for sustainable health and wellbeing
• Inclusive innovation, education and development (gender, youth, disability)

Guidelines on how to submit:

Paper Presentations

We invite the submission of original unpublished full papers for the conference. Submission of a full paper (in PDF) not exceeding 8,000 words (including notes, tables, appendices, list of references, etc.) can be submitted against any of the themes mentioned above. All papers should be submitted for assessment via the online submission system that will be open from 1st March 2026, submission guidelines are available on the conference website: https://africalicssouthafrica.witsevents.co.za/abstract-submissions

Paper submissions will be accepted through this system up to the 31st of May 2026. AfricaLics reserves the right to use available software to control plagiarism and to take appropriate action in severe cases. Only one paper per author can be submitted (although you can be a co-author on another paper submitted by a different first author).

If authors used Artificial Intelligence (AI) to develop papers, this must be clearly stated and properly referenced in the papers submitted.

All papers submitted will then be double-blind peer-reviewed by at least two members of the Conference Scientific Review Committee (to be made up of members of the local organizing committee in South Africa, members of the AfricaLics Scientific Board, and senior scholars from the AfricaLics community). Papers will be scored on relevance to conference themes, originality, research methods, and scientific quality. In case of huge differences regarding scoring, a third review will be undertaken.

The principal authors of the accepted papers will be notified after 1st July 2026. Final papers must be uploaded to the conference website by 1st August 2026.

Poster Presentations

Poster presenters should submit a one-page overview of their project they would like to present as a poster. Submissions should be made via the conference website and must be received by 31 May 2026. Accepted poster presenters will be responsible for funding their own travel, accommodation, subsistence, and other costs related to attending the conference (including registration fees).

Thematic session

A limited number of conference registrations will be available for organisers of and presenters in thematic sessions - special panels, posters, plenary workshops (curated), and roundtables - approved by the Scientific Conference Committee. Organisations or research projects interested in organising a thematic session related to the overall theme or one of the sub-themes must submit a concept note indicating the topic of the session, moderator, and presenters by the 31st of May 2026. The organisers must cover all costs associated with the thematic session (travel costs, accommodation, and conference registration fees). Each thematic session will have a duration of 90 minutes. The Scientific Conference Committee will review all concept papers for thematic sessions and decide which thematic sessions to accommodate in the programme.

Details on the submission link to follow