WACREN, in collaboration with EIFL and AJOL, is pleased to announce a significant milestone in the joint effort to strengthen No-Fee Open Access (OA) publishing in Africa. The project, funded by Wellcome, has awarded 16 additional grants to African journals in the second round of funding, building on the strong foundations laid during the first phase.

This new round of grants reinforces the project partners’ shared commitment to supporting sustainable, high-quality, and inclusive scholarly publishing models that remove financial barriers for both authors and readers. By prioritising No-Fee Open Access, the initiative directly contributes to equitable knowledge production and dissemination across the continent.

The announcement of the second cohort comes alongside the release of case studies from selected first-round grantees, highlighting the programme’s tangible impact. These case studies showcase how targeted support has helped journals strengthen editorial workflows, improve publishing infrastructure, enhance visibility, and adopt best practices aligned with international standards while remaining free to publish and access.

The newly announced grants, together with the documented success stories from the first phase, demonstrate that locally led, no-fee publishing models are both viable and impactful when supported through strategic partnerships. They also offer valuable lessons for policymakers, research institutions, funders, and journal editors seeking to strengthen open-access ecosystems in Africa.

WACREN congratulates all second-round grantees and commends the first-round journals whose experiences are now informing and inspiring the wider community. The organisation remains committed to working with partners across the continent and beyond to advance open science, strengthen research visibility, and ensure that African knowledge is openly accessible, globally discoverable, and locally owned.

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