AfricArXiv is a community-led open-access digital library dedicated to creating an African-owned open scholarly repository. It enables African researchers across all disciplines to showcase their research findings, boost their discoverability, and connect with other researchers on the continent and globally. In late 2023, Access 2 Perspectives and UbuntuNet Alliance jointly began hosting AfricArXiv on UbuntuNet Alliance’s platform. This initiative aims to advance knowledge sharing, collaboration, and accessibility within the African research community. This year, significant progress has been made toward this goal.
The AfricArXiv repository has been set up to ensure researchers upload content seamlessly. All uploaded items are automatically assigned a free DOI following a quality screening process to confirm authenticity. Additionally, the repository is now fully interoperable with ORCID. This allows for single sign-on and easy discovery of all researchers with an ORCID. Furthermore, language translation features are being integrated to accommodate the diverse languages of the African community. Finally, the platform offers capacity-building resources and customizable community repositories
AfricArXiv now hosts over 1,400 digital objects, including research papers, posters, book chapters, manuscripts, preprints, published articles, datasets, presentations, reports, policy briefs, and audio-visual materials. This collection notably features research from the COVID-19 Africa Rapid Grant Fund and the Harmonisation, Quality Assurance, and Accreditation in Africa (HAQAA3).
Recently, more digital objects were mirrored from repositories such as Open Science Framework (OSF), ScienceOpen, Zenodo, PubPub, and Figshare into AfricArXiv. This significant move enhances the visibility of African research making it easily searchable on platforms like Google Scholar. By improving discoverability, AfricArXiv is crucial in helping African researchers achieve global impact. The citable nature of the research shared through AfricArXiv ensures academic recognition and fosters a culture of openness.
Institutional repositories stand to benefit from AfricArXiv’s interoperable features, increased visibility, long-term preservation, promotion of local scholarship, encouragement of international collaboration, and support for open access mandates. The platform also provides technical support and training for adopting modern publishing practices, elevating the standards of African research publications.
AfricArXiv is more than a repository; it is a catalyst for the advancement and recognition of African research. By increasing visibility, fostering collaboration, and supporting modern publishing practices, AfricArXiv ensures that African scholars are integral to the global research community.
For more details and to join this transformative initiative, visit Africarxiv