There is a growing need for robust, accessible, interoperable, and sustainable repositories to host scholarly outputs across African institutions. Many Nigerian universities either lack institutional repositories or operate underperforming systems, limiting their ability to effectively support open access and reducing the discoverability, accessibility, and indexing of their scholarly outputs. This infrastructure gap results in missed regional and international collaboration opportunities, underutilisation of valuable research, and a diminished global impact of Nigerian scholarly outputs. 

To address this challenge, the RUMBU Initiative invites Nigerian tertiary education and research institutions to participate in a community-driven pilot to establish an open-access repository platform. Anchored in the strategic vision of LIBSENSE in Nigeria, and in partnership with the NREN community and the Association of University Librarians of Nigerian Universities (AULNU), this initiative aims to leverage shared infrastructure to foster collaboration, enhance research visibility, and ensure compliance with global open science standards.

The project will leverage international collaboration through WACREN to facilitate the deployment and operation of the repository platform. It will employ institutional identity providers (IdPs) participating in the Nigerian Identity Federation for the authentication framework.

Objectives

  • Deploy a shared, open-access repository platform to:
    • Address the fresh need for repositories in institutions that currently lack them.
    • Upgrade or replace outdated or ineffective repositories, particularly those with limited storage, poor access, or a lack of interoperability and local control.
  • Advance the discoverability, interoperability, and reuse of Nigerian scholarly outputs by combining technical validation, monitoring tools, and capacity-building to align Nigerian repositories with FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) principles and boost global visibility. 
  • Build technical and governance capacity across participating institutions and complement national platforms by feeding into broader research infrastructure ecosystems and policy objectives.
  • Support compliance with national and international research and open science policies, and foster collaboration and long-term sustainability through effective funding models.

What Participating Institutions Will Gain

  • Access to a community-governed multi-tenant repository platform with support for persistent identifiers (PIDs) and global interoperability
  • Secure and seamless institutional login to upload resources via eduid.ng, Nigeria’s identity federation.
  • Technical support for repository setup, content migration, and metadata alignment.
  • Participation in a cost-sharing model that promotes sustainability and shared ownership.
  • Capacity-building workshops and training for librarians, IT staff, and researchers.

Eligibility

Participation is open to Nigerian universities and research institutions, whether federal, state, or private, that are currently accredited by one of the following regulatory bodies:

  • National Universities Commission (NUC)
  • National Board for Technical Education (NBTE)
  • National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE)
  • Recognised Federal or State Research Institutions in Nigeria.

Additional eligibility requirements:

  • Willingness to participate in a discovery phase to assess repository needs and co-design the pilot.
  • Commitment to designating a focal person as the primary contact and supporting project coordination.

How to Apply

Interested institutions should submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) providing basic institutional details, including repository status and needs, motivation for joining the pilot, and a designated institutional contact person.

Fill out the EOI form here: https://survey.wacren.net/index.php/654649.

Deadline for submissions: June 27, 2025

Selected institutions will participate in a discovery and planning phase beginning in July 2025. During this phase, participating institutions will receive tailored support to conduct collaborative needs assessments to guide the scope, design, and implementation. 

For questions or further information, please contact: rumbu@ren.ng

Join us in shaping a nationally coordinated, sustainable, open repository infrastructure to elevate Nigerian research and empower its institutions to lead in global knowledge sharing and open science best practices!

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