UbuntuNet Alliance is pleased to announce a significant milestone in strengthening access to African scholarship. A new system has been set up that automatically collects African-related scholarly metadata from the HAL Repository and makes it discoverable on AfricArXiv. The collection, now available through AfricArXiv, currently features 6,193 items and continues to grow as new works are deposited in HAL. This achievement is a major step forward in ensuring that African research outputs are more visible, accessible, and integrated into the global open science ecosystem.
HAL is a multidisciplinary open access repository that allows researchers to deposit scholarly works from all academic fields. Managed by the French research infrastructure CCSD (Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe), HAL serves as an international platform where authors can archive their publications, ensuring long-term preservation and global discoverability. HAL is widely respected for its commitment to open access and knowledge sharing. By providing a space where scholars can freely disseminate their research, HAL contributes to a more transparent and collaborative global research landscape.
AfricArXiv is an open access digital repository hosted by UbuntuNet Alliance, dedicated to African research output. It provides a trusted platform for scholars to share, preserve, and promote their work openly. With a mission to increase the visibility of African scholarship and foster collaboration across the continent, AfricArXiv supports the principles of open science, knowledge equity, and pan-African research cooperation. By connecting African research outputs to global audiences, AfricArXiv strengthens the position of African scholars in international knowledge production and ensures that Africa’s contributions to science and innovation are widely recognized.
Why This Integration Matters
The connection between HAL and AfricArXiv is more than a technical achievement, it is a strategic step toward building Africa’s knowledge infrastructure.
- Increased Discoverability: African-related works archived in HAL are now automatically indexed in AfricArXiv, making them more visible to scholars, students, and institutions across Africa and beyond.
- Fostering Collaboration: By showcasing African scholarship on multiple platforms, researchers gain more opportunities to connect, collaborate, and engage in cross-continental and international projects.
- Strengthening Regional Research Capacity: This integration aligns with UbuntuNet Alliance’s mission to advance digital research and education networks across Africa, ensuring that the region’s knowledge outputs are accessible and impactful.
UbuntuNet Alliance extends an open invitation to other repositories and knowledge platforms: let’s work together to make African research more visible. AfricArXiv is ready to support similar integrations, helping institutions showcase their contributions to the global knowledge community. We also encourage researchers, educators, and policymakers to explore the AfricArXiv collection and follow the links back to the original works on HAL Repository. Every visit, citation, and collaboration contributes to amplifying the voice of African research on the global stage.
Browse the AfricArXiv HAL collection here: AfricArXiv HAL Collection
Discover more on HAL Repository: HAL Repository