The Second Annual NUGS-China Research Conference themed “Africa’s Future Beyond Aid in the Context of SDGs” (AFBA2021) co-sponsored by NUGS-China will be held online via zoom platform on , June 22nd – 24th 2021.

AFBA2021 is an annual conference that provides a forum for researchers across various disciplines to present and discuss the latest research findings, ideas, and emerging technologies and applications, business models, policies and regulatory frameworks in the area of Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, Information and Communication (STEMIC). Others are Economics, Management, Social Sciences, Education, etc. The aim is to present and discuss current researches for policy-making, industrial development, field advancement and practices in Africa.

The 2021 AFBA annual conference will provide a forum for discussion, and feature keynote addresses, and  presentations by distinguished speakers (researchers).

March 1, 2021 (Beijing local time) Submission start for abstract/ full paper opens
April 12, 2021 (Beijing local time) Deadline for abstract submission ONLY
April 16, 2021 (Beijing local time) Notification to abstract submission ONLY
May 31, 2021  (Beijing local time) Full paper submission deadline ONLY
June 14, 2021  (Beijing local time) Notification to full paper submission ONLY
June 15, 2021 (Beijing local time) Conference registration
June 21, 2021 (Beijing local time) Deadline for conference registration

Note:
Abstracts/ full paper submission can only be submitted online via the online abstract submission form (will be available March 1, 2021)

Conference Proceedings and Journal Publications
• To be communicated on the NUGS-China website

Submission Process

  • Submission is welcomed for AFBA 2021 Conference for oral, and poster presentations to be considered by the conference Assessment Committee.
  • All submissions to AFBA 2021 International Conference should not be already presented in any conference or submitted for publication to a journal.
  • Abstract/ Full paper submission is only possible via the online abstract submission form.
  • Please read all the instructions available on the NUGS-China website and the online abstract/ full paper submission system carefully before preparing your submission.
  • For submission of abstract/ full paper, the author(s) must create a user account on the conference system. Registered accounts do not need to be re-created for future conferences.
  • Abstracts/ full papers can be saved in “Draft status” to be re-edited and modified until the submission deadline (refer to important dates). Abstracts/ full paper cannot be edited after the submission deadline.
  • Abstracts/ full papers fulfilling all criteria can be saved in “Final submission” status. Only abstracts/ full papers in “Final submission” status will be considered for the international conference.
  • Abstracts/ full paper are accepted on a wide range of multidisciplinary topics. Author(s) has to select the right topic for the abstract/ full paper on the submission form. Available topics are researches related to issues on;
  • Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for Africa 
  • Educational research and development (related to primary, secondary, and tertiary education)
  • STEMIC
  • Economics, finance, human resource development and technologies
  • Green shipping, logistics, transportation
  • Green ports (to cover domains such as maritime transport, railway transport, road transport, air transport, and even pipeline transportation)
  • Smart cities and communities
  • Sustainability issues in agriculture, health, climate change, education, energy, and others
  • Peace, justice, and strong institutional governance
  • Sustainability issues related to disaster and humanitarian domains
  • Safety, security and regional integration
  • Regional development
  • Diplomacy, conflict resolution, and others
  • Ecosystem research relating to digital business, health, education, engineering, and others
  • Laboratory and medical researches
  • Emerging technologies
  • And others

The acceptable standardized length of the abstract should not be more than 250-350 words for abstract submission and 4000-6000 words for full paper submission (title not excepted).
To identify that, please refer to your system word counts for more details.
The abstract should be structured as follows:

  • Purpose: This section should contain 1-2 sentences that indicate the scientific question of the study and its importance.
  • Design/ methodology/ approach: Sufficient information on the research design, methods, scientific approach, analytical and statistical techniques should be stated.
  • Results/ findings: this section should communicate the research findings and objectives that answer the research question(s) being addressed.
  • Conclusions: should support research results, along with implications for theory and field development/ industry practice/ policy advancement, avoiding speculation and over-generalization.
  • Research Limitations: should also be clearly stated.
  • Originality/ Contribution: Contribution/ benefits to the research field, policy-making and industrial practice should be communicated.

A conflict of interest disclosure agreement form should be signed before a paper would be accepted for a conference presentation. On the online abstract form, provide the requested details for all authors (for full paper submission).

Rules

The conference planning committee advises all authors to adhere to the rules provided here to avoid the disqualification of a submission.

1 Paper Presentation (Abstracts/ full paper)

  • Accepted papers can be presented at the conference either as an oral or poster presentation.
  • The accepted abstract/ full paper presentation is under the prerogative of the Conference Scientific Committee. The committee would communicate the determinant on whether an accepted paper would qualify for an oral or poster presentation.
  • Author(s) whose paper(s) is/are accepted as a poster presentation would be requested to present the paper for discussion during the conference poster session.
  • Format for poster presentation would be communicated in due time. 

2 Publication

Abstracts & full paper submitted will be published in ZENADO.
ZENADO is index in OpenAIRE (Open Access Infrastructure for analysis in Europe). The OpenAIRE  is one among the biggest collection of published works worlwide, key in fostering Open Science and establishing its practices within the daily analysis activities.
OpenAIRE is connected to Elseviers, that jointly acquires links via alternative trustworthy sources, like DataCite, CrossRef EventData

https://zenodo.org/record/51902#.YKdujZNLhBw

https://zenodo.org/

https://www.elsevier.com/connect/datasets-are-an-important-output-in-their-own-right-how-openaire-eurocris-and-elsevier-are-stimulating-open-sciencehttps://www.elsevier.com/connect/datasets-are-an-important-output-in-their-own-right-how-openaire-eurocris-and-elsevier-are-stimulating-open-science

It beholds on the author(s) to ensure that all details submitted are correct and devoid of any plagiarism. Accurate facts and figures must be presented, and the author(s) must adhere to ethics in their various fields. They must also have the right of authorship for the work(s) submitted. Changes will not be allowed after final submission.

3 General Remarks

  • The author of the abstract/ full paper selected for presentation must be registered for the international conference.
  • Abstracts/ full papers should meet the ethical standards of scientific research, and the data should be appropriately done.
  • Authors should also ensure that all abbreviations used are well defined and explained.
  • Author(s) is to ensure that their abstract/ full paper does not contain grammar, spelling, or scientific mistakes, as submitted paper(s) would be reproduced as submitted. Linguistic accuracy is your responsibility. Authors are to note that the AFBA 2021 conference committee will do no proofreading.
  • No changes can be made to the abstract/ full paper after the submission deadline April 11 2021 (abstracts ONLY) and May 31 2021 (full papers ONLY), midnight Beijing local time.
  • The conference committee will grade abstracts/ full papers according to their relevance to AFBA 2021 (English grammar, the objectivity of statements, description of what was done, the appropriate usage of methods matching the papers aims, conclusions confirmed by objective results, ethics, scientific value, potential value, originality of work and overall impression).
  • Authors will be notified of their submission decision by  April 16, 2021/ June 14, 2021, as to whether their abstract/ full paper is accepted or not.  Also, the date, time and form for their presentation would be communicated. All notifications will be sent via e-mail submitted on the submission system.

Abstract/ Full paper author can withdraw their submitted paper via a written statement indicating the reason for withdrawal to the AFBA Secretary afba@nugschina.org  no later than June 15, 2021.

Submission Form