Advancing Diamond Open Access in Africa: LIBSENSE at the 2nd Global Summit.

WACREN’s Diamond Open Access Publishing efforts, driven by the LIBSENSE initiative, garnered significant attention at the 2nd Global Summit on Diamond Open Access (DOA), held at the University of Cape Town in December 2024. The well-attended event convened stakeholders from the scholarly publishing ecosystem to advance DOA as a pathway for equitable and inclusive scholarly communication.

During the summit, Sesame Open Science commended LIBSENSE for its transformative contributions to the open access movement, highlighting its capacity-building programs, open science services, and robust infrastructure development across West Africa. Similarly, the Confederation of Open Access Repositories (COAR) recognised LIBSENSE’s deployment of an African Publish, Review, and Curate (PRC) infrastructure model. This model, recognised for its scalability, flexibility, and reliance on community-owned infrastructure, was highlighted as an essential contributor to advancing the diamond open access agenda.

WACREN, in collaboration with EIFL and AJOL, is spearheading a three-year project to support sustainable Diamond Open Access Publishing across Africa. This initiative has engaged over 300 editors and publishers in Anglophone and Francophone Africa through tailored webinars, established a thriving community of practice, and awarded 17 grants to support African applicants.

A significant element of this initiative is the WACREN-CAMES collaboration, which focuses on addressing the specific needs of the Francophone community. This partnership facilitates targeted capacity-building efforts, strengthens the integration of Diamond Open Access within Francophone academic institutions, and enhances regional cooperation to ensure the inclusivity of Francophone researchers in the global scholarly publishing ecosystem.

Furthermore, LIBSENSE and its partners are extending DOA support to African public health researchers through the COPPHA initiative, ensuring tailored solutions for this vital research sector. By combining these multifaceted efforts, LIBSENSE continues to transform scholarly communication for a more inclusive and equitable future.