UbuntuNet Alliance CEO, Prof Madara Ogot, has been appointed to the Africa Open Science Platform Governing Council for a period of three years, starting April 2023. The AOSP was established in 2017 to position African scientists at the cutting edge of data intensive science. Its mission is to:
- Provide scientists and other societal actors with the means to find, deposit, manage, share and reuse data, software and metadata in pursuing their interests;
- Provide connective tissue between dispersed actors in pursuit of shared and overlapping open science goals by: supporting scientists in pursuit of the highest levels of excellence, in both curiosity-driven and application-driven research;
- Enable consortia that wish to utilise powerful digital tools and cutting-edge data science to address important scientific problems;
- Develop open science capacities in individuals and institutions at all levels of public and private domains; and to
- Create and support networks of engagement between scientists and other societal actors in open innovation and in addressing local, national and international issues of major public concern.
In his role as a member of the AOSP Governing Council Prof Ogot and other council members shall:
- Provide strategic advice on Open Science engagements in Africa and the further development of the AOSP, including plans to implement the AOSP strategy;
- Advise on appointments of AOSP Technical Working Groups;
- Provide strategic leadership to develop agendas and associated activity and business plans for implementation of the AOSP;
- Support the development of networks in national, regional, and global systems of scientific priority setting and funding;
- Build linkages, collaborations and synergies with major open science and data initiatives;
- Build linkages with influential decision-makers, policy-makers and leading scientists on a national and regional level;
- Serve in an advocacy role for the platform;
- Advise on and support fundraising initiatives.
The appointment is line with the Alliance’s open strategic objectives to support the development of Open Science on the continent, especially leveraging on the Alliance’s infrastructure, including the UbuntuNet Open Science Cloud.