The Université Félix Houphouët Boigny in Abidjan lit up with ecstasy and high interest for open science as stakeholders of the research and science community converged for the WACREN 2022 Conference. It was the 7th of its kind but the first time on a university campus. Various addresses, presentations and panel discussions at the Conference enlightened participants on the tenets and rudiments of open science. Many participants said they increased their knowledge in and understanding of open science through the insightful content shared in the various sessions of the Conference. In an interaction with some students and researchers, they indicated that open science, until the WACREN Conference, was an abstract phenomenon to them. “Well, I had heard about open science, but I was not interested in it until I listened to the keynote speaker and the team of eminent panellists in the first-panel session”, one student told WACREN. Interaction with the participants of the Conference revealed that most researchers need to embark on a cultural shift to inculcate the tenets of open science. Some participants called for such periodic conversations on open science, especially among students, to build their interest and capacity for open science.
