The West and Central African Research and Education Network (WACREN), the Electronic Information for Libraries (EIFL) and the African Journal Online (AJOL) have launched a Community of Practice (CoP) as part of the Collaboration for Sustainable OA Publishing in Africa project supported by Wellcome. The CoP is designed to capacitate and foster collaboration among editors and publishers of no-fee open access (OA) journals and books across Africa as they navigate the rapidly evolving academic publishing landscape.

The CoP, which already includes 155 editors and publishers, will be a platform for collaboration, knowledge sharing, and advocacy to strengthen Diamond OA publishing on the continent and beyond. It is open to all editors and publishers affiliated with African organisations that publish no-fee open access journals or books. Members of the community will share experiences and best practices in Diamond OA publishing, build collaborations and partnerships to enhance publishing quality and help the ongoing momentum in advocating for sustainable and equitable OA models.

The engagements in the CoP are expected to help address some of the issues raised in a recent landscape study of no-fee OA publishing in Africa. The study highlighted the need for stakeholders in the African publishing ecosystem to stay informed about global publishing trends, access training, IT support, and editorial resources, and advocate for policy and financial support for Diamond OA models.

Be part of this transformative initiative to strengthen Diamond OA publishing in Africa. For inquiries or to learn more, contact us at no-fee-publishing@wacren.net. Click this link to apply to join the CoP. The inaugural meeting is set for January 22, 2025, at 10:00 UTC.

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