The AfricArXiv Open Science Webinar series has reached a new milestone, with 118 researchers and librarians from across the African research and education community gathering to explore the future of Diamond Open Access (OA) publishing in Africa. This record-breaking attendance is a promising sign of the growing interest and engagement in the series, with much more expected in the sessions to come.
The webinar’s focus on Diamond Open Access publishing in Africa drew participants eager to learn from a team of researchers who recently completed a comprehensive landscape study on no-fee open access publishing across the continent. Led by Iryna Kuchma, the team, which included multiple contributors from various African regions, presented their findings based on responses from 199 journals, 21 institutional, national, and continental platforms hosting Diamond OA journals, and 25 country reports. The study delved into the current funding and financial sustainability approaches, institutional in-kind support, incentives, and collaborations among Diamond OA journals, as well as the needs and strategies to advance Diamond OA in Africa.
Conducted as part of a three-year project titled “Collaboration for Sustainable Open Access Publishing in Africa,” implemented by EIFL, AJOL, and WACREN, the study uncovered several key insights into the state of OA publishing on the continent. Notably, it was revealed that most journals in Africa are relatively small in scale, with 64.8% of respondents reporting that they publish fewer than 20 articles annually. The study also highlighted the heavy reliance on volunteer work in many journals, whether fully or partially, and shed light on the significant challenges related to institutional funding.
The webinar also explored the willingness of Diamond OA journals to collaborate with other organizations to achieve their goals in areas such as training, support, and advice on publishing policies and best practices, production, communication, and editorial services. Recognizing the significant potential of Diamond OA journals, the session addressed the support needed to ensure their sustainability. Among the cited needs were human resource support, technical support, facilities to ensure interoperability, visibility and indexation, and advocacy efforts required for Diamond OA publishing support.
The great participation that the open science webinar series is gaining is a testament to the impact that the knowledge shared is having throughout the research and education community in Africa. The series continues to grow, and we invite you to be a part of this vital conversation. Access the proceedings of this webinar and sign up for the next webinars in the AfricArXiv series here, and stay informed by subscribing to the AfricArXiv YouTube channel here, where all sessions are shared and freely accessible.
UbuntuNet Alliance and Access2Perspectives extend warm thanks to Iryna Kuchma and her team, as well as all the participants who attended the webinar. Together, we are building a stronger foundation for open science in Africa.