The implementation of the “Unlocking Potential: Elevating Open Institutional Repositories in Africa for Global Impact” project is now firmly underway following the successful completion of the first Open Science Training for Librarians held during ZAMREN Week. The training marked a major milestone in the regional initiative, bringing together 45 participants from research and education institutions across Zambia to strengthen capacity in open science and institutional repository management.
Supported by Invest in Open Infrastructure (IOI) through the Network Adoption Fund, the project seeks to transform how African research is preserved, shared, and discovered globally. The initiative is being implemented by UbuntuNet Alliance together with partners and National Research and Education Networks (NRENs) across Eastern and Southern Africa.
The recently concluded training was particularly significant as it represented the first dedicated training for librarians under the broader project, setting the foundation for a continent-wide effort to strengthen open institutional repositories and open science practices. The initiative will support the development and strengthening of institutional repositories, improve metadata interoperability, and establish stronger regional collaboration around open science infrastructure.
As part of the wider implementation plan, the project targets the training of 560 librarians drawn from 16 Eastern and Southern African countries as repository managers and metadata librarians. In addition, the initiative will train 75 NREN system engineers to support the deployment and management of DSpace as a Service (DSaaS) infrastructure across the region. The project also plans to equip 480 librarians and researchers as institutional data management champions through dedicated train-the-trainer programmes focused on open data stewardship and repository sustainability.
Throughout the workshop, participants were introduced to practical approaches in repository management, introduction to Dspace, metadata curation, open science principles and open access institutional policies and advocacy. The sessions emphasized the important role librarians play in enabling open science ecosystems and ensuring African scholarship becomes more visible and accessible globally.
Speaking during the training, Mr. Eliakim Okundi, UbuntuNet Alliance project manager, highlighted the significance of beginning the implementation journey with librarians.
“This training marks an important starting point for the project because librarians are central to the future of open science in Africa. They are the custodians of institutional knowledge and key enablers of research visibility and preservation. By equipping them with practical open science and repository management skills, we are laying the groundwork for a stronger, more connected, and globally visible African research ecosystem.”
Eliakim Okundi. Project Manager at UbuntuNet Alliance.
The workshop also provided participants with an opportunity to exchange experiences, discuss institutional challenges, and explore collaborative solutions around repository development and open science adoption. The engagement reinforced the growing momentum among African research and education institutions toward embracing open and collaborative research practices. One of the participants shared the following remarks:
“Attending the librarians’ Open Science and DSpace repository training during ZAMREN Week 2026 was a truly enriching and transformative experience for me as a librarian. The training was highly engaging, practical, and insightful, equipping me with valuable skills in institutional repositories, metadata management, Open Access, FAIR principles, and research visibility. It was inspiring to see how libraries are evolving into powerful drivers of research discoverability, digital preservation, collaboration, and innovation across Africa. The interactive sessions and shared experiences with fellow librarians made the training even more impactful and motivating. I leave the training with its experiences empowered and inspired to contribute toward a more open, connected, and knowledge-driven research future for Africa through Open Science and institutional repositories. Special thanks to ZAMREN and UbuntuNet Alliance for organizing and supporting such an impactful training opportunity. Growing Together Indeed, as we redefine the role of libraries in advancing African scholarship and innovation.”
Pauline Namulomba Nchemba. Librarian, Levy Mwanawasa Medical University(LMMU)
Hosting the first librarians’ training during ZAMREN Week further underscored the importance of collaboration between research and education institutions, digital infrastructure providers, and open science advocates in shaping the future of scholarly communication in Africa.
As implementation activities continue across the region, the successful completion of this first training signals the beginning of a broader movement toward strengthening African-led open science infrastructure and ensuring African research outputs are more accessible, discoverable, and impactful worldwide.
