May 2023

The Coalition for Open Access Publishing of Public Health in Africa (COPPHA) is a collaborative effort spearheaded by the West and Central African Research and Education Network (WACREN) in partnership with PublicHealth.Africa (PHA), AFREhealth, the West African Institute of Public...

In the past month, the enterprising Nigeria and Ghana cohorts of the LIBSENSE Early Career Researcher (ECR) Network leveraged various opportunities within the two countries to advocate for open science and research visibility. In Nigeria, the team organised a workshop...

A recent survey by EIFL on the operational landscape of Diamond Open Access (OA) journals has revealed critical insights into their functioning, challenges, and needs in Africa. The survey, encompassing various journals, highlights the significant reliance on volunteer work, institutional...

The academic research community in West and Central Africa has explored new approaches, solutions, and services to raise Africa’s research profile on the global stage. The community is poised to change the narrative – the least contributor to the global...

A rise in cyber threats has accompanied the digital expansion in Africa. Cybercriminals are increasingly targeting African organisations due to perceived vulnerabilities and the rapid adoption of digital technologies. The African Union Commission report 2022 revealed that Africa faced over...

Rede Nacional De Ensino E Pesquisa (RNEP-GW) of Guinea Bissau has joined WACREN and is now the newest NREN Member. As an NREN member, RNEP-GW will actively participate in WACREN activities and benefit from its services. Receiving RNEP-GW into membership,...

The Ghanaian Academic and Research Network (GARNET) has connected over 100 sites to its high-speed, reliable, and affordable network. This was announced at the recent GARNET Conference and AGM 2024 at the Regional Maritime University (RMU) in Accra. In 2023...

In the digital age, the ease of accessing, sharing, and referencing academic and scientific work has become crucial. As the volume of digital content grows, the importance of persistent identifiers (PIDs) such as ORCID, ROR, ARKs and DOIs becomes even...

Course instructors supported by the Africa Digital Campus project funded by the European Commission through Agence Française de Développement have undergone training on using the WACREN mobile lecture capture kit to develop course video materials as part of their online...

With the support of the AfricaConnect3 project (co-funded by the European Commission), WACREN has upgraded its digital infrastructure to improve the delivery of connectivity and advanced services to national research and education networks (NRENs) and their communities across our region....

WACREN is playing a key role in revolutionising research, teaching, and learning across West and Central Africa. Our Digital Education Programme (DEP) is taking shape with an increased scope and geographical footprint. Through robust infrastructure, cutting-edge resources, advocacy, and strategic...

Sierra Leone is making headway in leveraging its knowledge economy for socio-economic development. With the support of the FCDO-UK, the Sierra Leone Research and Education Network (SLREN) has partnered with the government to convene a stakeholders workshop to chart the...