The AfricArXiv Open Science Webinar Series continues on 5 December 2025 at 11:00 AM with a timely session titled DataCite Insights: Strengthening Open Science and Research Visibility in Africa. Hosted by UbuntuNet Alliance and Access 2 Perspectives, the webinar will explore how persistent identifiers (PIDs) and open metadata can transform the discoverability and impact of African research.
Led by Mohamad Mostafa, DataCite Community Specialist and member of the UNESCO Working Group on Open Science Infrastructures, the session will provide an overview of DataCite’s global community and services, with practical use cases from across Africa. Mohamad will highlight how PIDs support interoperability, policy alignment, and equitable participation in global research ecosystems. The session will also feature a use case of SomaliREN, one of the Consortium Organizations under the UbuntuNet DataCite Consortium, presented by Ahmed Siyad with a focus on their experience.
As the DataCite Consortium Lead for Eastern and Southern Africa, the webinar will showcase UbuntuNet Alliance’s work in supporting institutions to adopt open research infrastructure and strengthen their repository systems. The webinar aligns with the objectives of the AfricArXiv series: building capacity, improving visibility of African scholarship, and supporting the implementation of UNESCO’s Open Science Recommendations.
The event is designed for policymakers, ministries of higher education, librarians, repository managers, research administrators, university leaders, and researchers across the continent. Participants will gain practical insights into enabling open science and enhancing the global presence of African research outputs.
Registration is open, and all stakeholders committed to advancing Africa’s research visibility and open science ecosystem are encouraged to attend.