By Adaora Adibe
The Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC) has rebranded and relaunched the Journal of Raw Materials Research (JORMAR) as a fully digital, internationally oriented scholarly publication as a strategic move to enhance the global visibility, accessibility and impact of research efforts on Nigeria’s abundant raw materials.
The rebirth of the journal marks the Council’s renewed commitment to promoting scientific excellence, industrial innovation and evidence-based policymaking through a modern publishing platform that aligns with global best practices and standards.
Speaking at the launch in Abuja, the Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of RMRDC, Professor Nnanyelugo Ike-Muonso, described the initiative as part of the Council’s vision to establishing a globally competitive journal that would provide researchers with an internationally recognised platform for disseminating their research findings. “The idea is to have a journal that is truly international and can compete globally, therefore, enabling researchers to publish their research ideas,” Ike-Muonso said.
He also expressed confidence in the editorial leadership of the journal, noting that its Editor-in-Chief, Professor Peter Azikiwe Onwualu, is a renowned authority in the field. “The Editor-in-Chief, Professor Onwualu, along with other local and international experts also constitute members of the editorial team of the journal”. He therefore encouraged RMRDC staff and the wider public to submit quality research papers that would further position the Council as a global leader in raw materials research.
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Chairman of the JORMAR Implementation Committee, Dr. Sab Ebiriekwe, explained that the journal, first published in 2004, had become inactive after its last print edition in 2017 due to the limitations of conventional publishing methods and ethics. He said the relaunch represents a comprehensive digital transformation designed to meet the evolving demands of global scholarly communication.
According to him, “JORMAR has now migrated from a conventional print journal to a fully integrated digital publishing system. Every stage of the publication process, from manuscript submission and editorial screening to peer review, copy-editing, production, publication and long-term archiving, is now managed through a modern electronic journal management system designed in accordance with international best practices.”
He disclosed that the journal now operates under a double-blind peer-review system and a Gold Open Access publishing model, enabling unrestricted access to published research by scholars, industries, policymakers and innovators across the world. He added that the Council has also digitised all previous editions of the journal and assigned Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs) to its 171 legacy articles, ensuring their long-term preservation and global discoverability.
Ebiriekwe further revealed that the Council had commenced the process of integrating JORMAR into internationally recognised indexing platforms, including Crossref, Google Scholar, African Journals Online (AJOL), Dimensions, Semantic Scholar, Scilit and OpenAlex, while preparations were underway for inclusion in the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) and eventually Scopus.
In his remarks, the Editor-in-Chief of JORMAR, the Vice-Chancellor of African University of Science and technology (AUST), and a former DG RMRDC, Professor Peter Azikiwe Onwualu, represented by Dr E. Bello, described the relaunch as the beginning of a new era for scientific publishing in Nigeria and Africa.
“Today marks another significant milestone for the Council. It marks the beginning of a new chapter in Nigeria’s journey towards becoming a globally recognised producer of high-quality scientific knowledge on raw materials development, value addition, industrial innovation and sustainable resource management,” he said.
Prof. Onwualu pledged to uphold the highest standards of international scholarly journal publication through rigorous peer review, editorial independence and ethical publishing practices, while positioning the journal for global indexing and increased international visibility.
He also called on researchers, universities, industries, policymakers and development partners across Africa and beyond to make JORMAR their preferred platform for publishing impactful research ideas capable of driving industrial development, innovation and sustainable economic transformation.
The highlight of the launch was a live demonstration of the newly developed JORMAR digital publishing platform by the technical consultant, Dr. Dimkpa. In his presentation, he showcased the platform’s key features, including the online manuscript submission process, editorial workflow, peer-review management system, article archiving and search functions. He also guided participants on how researchers, reviewers and readers can easily navigate the platform, underscoring its user-friendly interface and compliance with international digital publishing standards.
