The Virtual University of Côte d’Ivoire (UVCI) is the latest and 16th member of WACREN. Being one of the famous virtual universities in the region, UVCI is now better positioned to offer the best digital academic services anchored on a secure, high-speed data network. The higher education institution will now enjoy the various programmes and activities of WACREN including capacity building programmes, NREN-specific services, among others. The WACREN Community welcomes UVCI to the REN fraternity. UVCI holds event on institutional OA policies A few days after joining WACREN, UVCI in collaboration with the LIBSENSE initiative and other partners held the 2nd edition of the Digital Educational Fortnight as part of the fourth edition of Open Access Week Côte d’Ivoire. One objective of the event was to promote open access and open science movements for the development of academic and research activities in Côte d’Ivoire and in French-speaking countries in the WACREN region. The three-day event drew in-person and online participants from the library community, academic institutions and communities of practice in Côte d’Ivoire and beyond. Speaking at the opening on behalf of WACREN, Omo Oaiya, Chief Strategy Officer, mentioned that WACREN will support UVCI to promote open science in Côte d’Ivoire. He was optimistic that at the end of the week’s activities, stakeholders working with LIBSENSE templates will finalise the institutional open science policy for UVCI and some other institutions in the country. At the end of the workshop, six Ivorian higher ed institutions had commenced actions with drafts of Open Access policies for their respective institutions. Watch the session’s video here.
