This paper will explore the new approaches to research and innovations in Africa and focus on the potential of open science in sustainable and innovative research. The paper will further evaluate notable open science initiatives in Africa including the EIFL/CARLIGH open access project in Ghana and make suggestions on how to address the implementation challenges of open science practices, particularly how to equip researchers and scientists with skills and incentives to practice open science

1. Mac-Anthony Cobblah (PhD)
University Librarian, University of Cape Coast Library System(UCCLS)
Chair, CARLIGH Management Committee

2. Introduction
New Approaches to Sustainable
Research in Africa
Potentials of Open Science in
Africa
Open Science Initiatives in Africa
Challenges facing Open Science
Initiatives in Africa
Way Forward
Conclusion
OUTLINE

3. TEASER
3
Science is great.
Openit.
Martin Clavey

4. INTRODUCTION
The change from MDGs to SDGs have not affected the
importance of Research in the developing countries
SDG 4 aim at education for sustainable development
Developing countries have adopted new
approaches and strategies towards sustainable
research
Open Science presents a golden opportunity for
Africans
This presentation is developed based on my
experience as an Academic Librarian, Researcher and
Advocate of Open Science in Africa

5. WHAT IS SUSTAINABLE RESEARCH?
Research that is set-up and/or delivered in a way that minimises
sustainability impacts. That is, it considers the environmental, social,
cultural and economic implications of how the research is undertaken.
TITLE 02
For example, research projects that engages teleconference or video
conferencing rather than extensive travel or research that minimises
carbon impacts through use of high energy efficient equipment.

6. NEW APPROACHES TO SUSTAINABLE
RESEARCH IN AFRICA

7. Usage of internet technologies
WIRELESS ENGAGEMENT
NEW APPROACHES TO SUSTAINABLE
RESEARCH IN AFRICA
New approaches to sustainable research are the novel methods, techniques and strategies adopted by scholars in
advancing knowledge and creating solutions easily accessible for use by both present and future generations for
societal benefits and advancement.
Preservation of indigenous
knowledge, know-how and
practices
TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE
MANAGEMENT
Formal management of
information not captured
INFORMAL KNOWLEDGE
GOVERNANCE
Unhindered access to scientific
works via ICT tools and incentives
OPEN SCIENCE
01 04
02 03

8. INNOVATIVE STRATEGIES TOWARDS PROMOTING
SUSTAINABLE RESEARCH IN AFRICA
STRATEGIES
INTERACT
Place-People
Interaction
COLLABORATE
Collaborative
Policy
Framework
PROMOTE
Promotion of
Interdisciplinary
Science
LEARN
Advanced
Learning
Techniques
BUILD
Building Social
Capital

9. EXAMPLES OF SUSTAINABLE RESEARCH IN
OTHER PARTS OF AFRICA
Indigenous Food
Varieties in South
Africa produced by
the University of
Pretoria
KAWA Project in
Tunisia (Turns air
into water)
Waste from
Fashion - Kenya
Molecular Testing
for Hep C and TB -
Professor Moumen
and Dr. Benhassou
(Morocco)

10. “iThrone” Portable
Toilet (Environment,
Energy and Water)
By Dr. Diana Yousef
Egypt
Natural solutions for
skeletal regeneration
and repair (Health
and wellbeing)
By Prof Keolebogile
Shirley Motaung
South Africa
Biodegradable
Seed Tray for rice
farming (ICT)
Madagascar
Mobile Shiriki
Network (ICT)
By Henri
Nyakarundi
Rwanda
EXAMPLES OF SUSTAINABLE RESEARCH IN
OTHER PARTS OF AFRICA CONT.

11. University of Cape Coast
Cowpea
Prof Asare & team
University of Ghana
Green House Project
KNUST
Home made ventilator
EXAMPLES OF SUSTAINABLE RESEARCH IN
GHANA

12. CHALLENGES TO SUSTAINABLE RESEARCH IN
AFRICA
KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER
Unwilling to share the details
of scientific works
POLICY
INCONSISTENCIES
Inconsistent research policies
with implementation
strategies
POLITICAL INFLUENCE
Government control of
research and book allowance
LIMITED FUNDING
Less than 1% of Gross
Domestic Product (GDP)
INTERDISCIPLINARY
COLLABORATIONS
Isolated Researchers
A
B
C
D
E

13. WHAT MAKES AFRICAN RESEARCH NOT VISIBLE
LANGUAGE BARRIER
Distinct bias towards English-written-
and-spoken journals
Lack of updated
information on Africa
Paucity of African
Journals in the Libraries
of Developed countries
COST TO PUBLISH
Exorbitant fees (US dollars)
INACCURATE DATA
Lack of the required skill sets
FUNDING
Reduction in institutional funding
CHALLENGES
CHALLENGES

14. ROLES OF ACADEMIC LIBRARIES IN PROMOTING
RESEARCH VISIBILITY IN AFRICA
A C E
D
B
ONLINE PROFILE
Assistance in
creating
Researchers’ Online
Profiles (ROP)
AWARENESS
Creating
awareness on
Open Access
Repositories
PROMOTION
Promotion of Self-
Archiving among
researchers
BLOGS
Assistance in the
creation and
maintenance of
Researchers’ Blogs
CREATION
Creation of
Institutional
Repositories

15. OPEN SCIENCE IN AFRICA

16. WHAT IS OPEN SCIENCE?
Open science (OS) is a movement
focusing on making science more open,
accessible, effective, democratic, and
transparent to society, notwithstanding
the level of education.
Okafor et
al.(2022)

17. ELEMENTS OF OPEN SCIENCE
Source: UNESCO (2021)

18. POTENTIALS OF OPEN SCIENCE IN AFRICA -
INCENTIVES
RESEARCHERS
Citations
Career Development
Funding
Ethics
Transparency
International Relationships
Responsible Innovation
INCENTIVES
AFRICAN GOVERNMENTS

19. COLLABORATION
Greater opportunities for
collaboration
POTENTIALS OF OPEN SCIENCE IN AFRICA -
BENEFITS
CITATION RATES
Higher citation rates
EFFICIENCY
Greater efficiency (value for
money) as research does not need
to be repeated
COMPLIANCE
Compliance with funder mandate
that support open research
TRANSPARENCY
Greater transparency in research
process
VISIBILITY
Increased visibility for researchers
IMPACT
Greater potential impact of
research
INNOVATION
Reusability and Reproducibility of
data and processes.
01
02
03
04
08
05
07
06

20. SPECIFIC ROLES OF OPEN SCIENCE IN
SUSTAINABLE RESEARCH IN AFRICA
CITIZEN SCIENCE
Public participation and
collaboration in scientific
research
PREREGISTRATION
AND REGISTERED
REPORTS
Researchers document
their research
hypotheses, analytic plan
and make submission to
a study registry
META-ANALYSES
A synthesis of empirical
findings
A B C

21. OPEN SCIENCE INITIATIVES IN
AFRICA

22. MAP OF OPEN SCIENCE INITIATIVES IN AFRICA
BURKINA FASO
• Government Open
Science Website
• Agri Data - BF
ETHIOPIA
• Open Data/Access
Policy
SENEGAL
• Part of the node of H3
• Bioinformatics
network
KENYA
• VIZAFRICA
• OD4D
• JKIUAT
EGPYT
• EKB
TANZANIA
• TODI D-LAB
A
C
B
D
E
F
SOUTH AFRICA
• RDM
• Policy
• SKA
BOTSWANA
• ODOS Forum
WEST AFRICA
GHANA
ZAMBIA
• Plan S
G

23. OPEN SCIENCE INITIATIVES IN AFRICA
Africa Fossils 2014
African Virtual University project
1997
African Journals
Online 1998
Scholarly Communication in
Africa in Africa programme 2014
African Academy of Sciences
(AAS) Open Research 2019
African Digital Research Repositories
2016
LIBSENSE (Library Support for Embedded NREN
Services and e-infrastructure) 2017
African Open Science Platform
2016
Electronic Publishing 2016
Open Access for Africa 2015
H3ABionet Project 2019
African Academy of Sciences
(AAS) Open Research 2019
DataFirst 2020
EIFL/ CARLIGH Initiative
2022

24. OPEN SCIENCE PROJECT IN GHANA-
EIFL/ CARLIGH PROJECT

25. Electronic Information for
Libraries (EIFL) and Consortium
of Academic and Research
Libraries in Ghana (CARLIGH)
have collaborated to promote
open access and the visibility of
the Research output of the
Academic and Research
Librarians in Ghana.
Training
Methods
• Presentation
• Demonstration
• Hands on
exercise
Outcomes
• Establish smooth
workflow in the
use of OJS for
managing and
hosting Journals.
• Contribute to
global open
access
publishing
Objectives
• Equip the
participants with
skills needed for
using the OJS to
manage
scientific journals
publishing.
• Promote Open
Access
publishing using
Open Journal
System.
03 02 01
EIFL AND CARLIGH
PROJECT ON OPEN
ACCESS
25

26. OBJECTIVES OF EIFL/CARLIGH PROJECTS
IMPROVE
OPEN
ACCESS
Improve Open
Access and
repositories of 15
CARLIGH
members
TECHNICAL
SUPPORT
Provide Technical
Support on
enhancing
Institutional
Repositories (IR)
STAFF
TRAINING
Train IT and
Library staff on IR
management
EDITORIAL
TEAM
TRAINING
Train Chief
Editors and
Editorial teams
on OA Journal
management
IR POLICY
DEVELOPMENT
Develop IR
Policies and
Operational
Manuals

27. ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE EIFL/CARLIGH
PROJECT
Fifteen (15) members
have functional
Institutional Repository
Over 200 Institutional
journals published in
Open Access
Translate into above
75,000 research papers
annually
Twenty-five (25)
Universities and Research
institutions publish their
institutional journals online
A
B

28. OPEN SCIENCE IN AFRICA –
CHALLENGES, SKILLS NEEDED &
RECOMMENDATIONS

29. 29
CHALLENGES FACING OPEN SCIENCE INITIATIVES IN
AFRICA
1 2 3 4
Limited Investment in
Science
Intra-African
Collaborations
Policy & Legal
Framework
ICT Infrastructure

30. SUGGESTIONS ON HOW TO ADDRESS
OPEN SCIENCE CHALLENGES
Development of
Socially Responsible
Initiatives and Open
Science Initiatives
Collaboration
Standardisation and
publicisation of
policies
Capacity Building
Investment in ICT – systems
and personnel capacity

31. SUGGESTIONS ON HOW TO ADDRESS OPEN
SCIENCE CHALLENGES
1
4
2
3
Openness in Science
Awareness creation on
Open Science Platforms
Consultation
Training of Researchers
Sharing to understand,
validate, and apply
information
Available platforms
Online contacts
Workshops and
conferences

32. SKILLS FOR PRACTICING OPEN SCIENCE
Information
System
Supporting,
developing and
managing
Information
systems
1
Publishers &
Contracts
Dealing with
publishers and
contracts
2
Funding
Models
Adopting new
funding models
3
License/
copyright
counseling
License/
copyright
counseling
4
Research
Impact
Reporting on
Research
Impact
5

33. HOW TO BUILD SKILLS FOR OPEN
SCIENCE INITIATIVES
Building of capacity for
Information
Management
Dealing with
publishers
Adoption of
new funding
models
Licensing and
copyright
Reporting on
Research
Impact
Collection & processing
of information
Negotiation Purchasing Negotiation Communication &
Marketing

34. A R
F
R
Rewards
Feedback on Research
Recognition
Awards & Honors
INCENTIVES FOR RESEACHERS

35. CONCLUSION
AFRICA WITHOUT AID
RESEARCH MUST BE TAKEN
SERIOUS IN AFRICA INCREASED NATONAL FUNDING
Adoption of systems that rely on usage statistics
Adoption of flexible Management Systems
IMPROVED ICT INFRASTRUCTURE
NATIONAL COUNCILS TO COORDINATE RESEARCH

36. REFERENCES
REF1
REF 2
REF 3
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REF 4
REF5
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37. REFERENCES CONT’D
REF6
REF 7
REF 8
Mwelwa, J., Boulton, G., Wafula, J. M., & Loucoubar, C. (2020). Developing open science in
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REF 9
REF 10
Okafor, I. A., Mbagwu, S. I., Chia, T., Hasim, Z., Udokanma, E. E., & Chandran, K. (2022).
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38. Mac-Anthony Cobblah (PhD)
mac-anthony.cobblah@ucc.edu.gh