The BDF publishes timely commentaries on issues facing Cameroon and Africa’s socioeconomic development. We also are interested in pieces that explore the intersection of:

  • Entrepreneurship
  • Development policy
  • Equitable distribution of resources, etc.

BDF encourages unsolicited contributions, including op-eds of 900-1200 words and longer commentaries up to 2500 words. In some instances, submissions may be published on our blog. 

Advantages as BDF Contributor

We are looking for experts or people that have an in-depth knowledge in diverse domains that are of interest to us and fall in line with the overall objective of the foundation. By doing so, the foundation seeks to develop a long-term collaboration based on a mutually beneficial relationship. Apart from the very modest compensation to contributors, the foundation also puts at their disposal the following;

  • Possibility to be panelist during the conferences or exchange forums organized by the foundation;
  • Possibility to be interviewed for our magazine called The BDF Entrepreneur, through which they can share their thoughts on a topic related to their area of expertise;
  • Contributors’ resumes will be automatically considered for participation in some of the foundation’s projects. This will include a selection process and project participant will be paid according to the budget lines of the project;
  • Contributors’ biographical sketch and photo will be published on our website with contact details. This will give each contributor the opportunity to answer questions from the public relating to their publications and areas of expertise. This will give them more exposure.

 

Conditions of acceptance of a contributor

If you are a new BDF contributor, please send us the following documents:

  • An inquiry. Your inquiry should be brief and explain why your piece is suitable for BDF (up to 200 words);
  • Your CV;
  • A short biographical sketch (up to 150 words);
  • A representative writing samples (or web links to them);
  • The BDF does not accept articles coming from contributors who are not the authors of the said pieces. In the same way, the foundation does not accept any form of plagiarism. We reserve the right to disqualify any contributor should any on or all of the set guidelines are not respected.

Procedure of acceptance of an article sent by a contributor

  • The contributor should send his article’s title and outlines only via our website;
  • The article’s title and outlines are analyzed within a week. In case the proposal is validated, they will get an email with a message of “go ahead” for them to write the entire content of the piece;
  • Once the article is sent to us, it may take a certain time for the internal reviewing process. This may last up to 2 weeks;
  • The foundation will send the contributor the tracked copy of their article and you will have up to 2 weeks to edit it and send us the final version;
  • Once the foundation receives the said final version, we will let the contributors know when their article have been scheduled for publication (taking into consideration the monthly publication target/limits) and we’ll give them the details of their payment.

 

Style Guidelines

We value strong writing that avoids jargon and makes clear points in concise language. We urge our writers to open with a compelling hook that may include vivid anecdotes to attract readers’ interest, to use the active voice whenever possible, and to close with concluding remarks.

Your article should be a clean copy without visible track changes. Quotations should be incorporated into paragraphs rather than set aside as block quotes. Please do not include bulleted lists. Sometimes long blocks of text can be broken up into subsections for easier web reading; in those cases use headings to title the sections.

BDF does not use footnotes or endnotes. Instead, please hyperlink all relevant sources. It is especially important to include a hyperlink for specific numbers, quotations, and observations or facts that aren’t common knowledge. If you cannot use a hyperlink, for example in citing a book, then give relevant information such as the author and title in the text. Use English or French language sources when available; other languages are acceptable where necessary. Although we scrutinize all submissions carefully, authors are ultimately responsible for the factual accuracy of their contributions.

Submissions

Please submit your article’s title and outlines by clicking this link. We will get back to you within a week.

Please submit a finished piece by clicking this link. We will get back to you in 2 weeks.

We look forward to your participation as BDF strives to expand scholarship on Africa’s socioeconomic development.

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