The Training Centre in Communication (TCC Africa) and PLOS began a partnership in May 2021 to support African research representation in global scholarly publishing. Based at the University of Nairobi, TCC Africa collaborates with PLOS to develop Open Science pathways that reflect African researchers’ interests. This partnership focuses on making African research more visible and accessible by fostering open, inclusive practices that align with local research needs and values. Both organizations share a commitment to democratizing research and advancing Open Science within higher education in Africa. Access the press release here

The Association of African Universities (AAU), the Public Library of Science (PLOS), and TCC Africa partnership began in 2022 to advance Open Science practices in Africa. Their collaboration aims to provide educational resources and regional workshops to promote Open Access, fostering greater adoption of Open Science across African institutions. Find the press release announcement here

On April 26, 2022, the three organizations convened for the first session of a four-part regional blended workshop aimed at addressing resistance and advocating for the adoption and implementation of Open Science and Open Access practices within AAU member institutions. The workshop brought together a variety of higher education leaders, including Presidents, Vice-Chancellors, Rectors, Deputy Vice-Chancellors, and Directors of Research and Libraries from African universities. TCC Africa, PLOS, and AAU are all heavily invested in an Open future and want to work with stakeholders across the scholarly communication ecosystem of Africa to promote and increase uptake of Open Access and Open Science more broadly. To see the press release for this initiative, see here

1. Eastern Africa (July 2022, University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania)University of Dar-Es-Salaam, Association of African Universities (AAU), Public Library of Science (PLOS) and Training Centre in Communication (TCC Africa) jointly held the first in a series of blended Open Science workshops, supporting Presidents, Rectors, Vice-Chancellors, Deputy Vice Chancellors, Directors of Research and Directors of Library Services in African Universities in Creating and Implementing Open Access and Open Science policies and mandates in their respective institutions.
The hybrid workshop, hosted by the University of Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, targeted institutional leaders in East and Central African universities, but the resulting participation was from wider afield, with 80 participants from across the continent: Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia (Eastern Africa), Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Botswana (Southern Africa), Morocco (North Africa) and Nigeria (West Africa).
Find the press release: here

2. Northern Africa (Oct 2022, British University in Egypt)
Over the past decade, African researchers have produced 1,674,503 publications, with 40.6% of this output available through Open Access. As of October 25, 2024, the Registry of Open Access Repository Mandates and Policies (ROARMAP) includes 1,114 policies, with Africa accounting for 36 Open Science institutional mandates. In collaboration, the Association of African Universities, British University in Egypt, TCC Africa, and PLOS held the second in a series of workshops aimed at raising awareness among research leaders on Open Science and Open Access best practices to foster engagement across AAU member institutions.
Access the recording: here:

3. Southern Africa (April 2023, University of Pretoria, South Africa)
Higher education leaders in Southern Africa gathered at the University of Pretoria from April 25-26, 2023, for a Regional Open Science Dialogue. This event followed the University of Pretoria’s collaborative Open Science program, which began with a 2022 workshop engaging South African higher education stakeholders on Open Science practices. Expanding this initiative regionally, the AAU, TCC Africa, and PLOS hosted the dialogue to deepen Open Science and Open Access practices, promote increased institutional mandates, and enhance regional collaboration. This hybrid dialogue is part of an ongoing series across Africa, following similar events in East and North Africa.

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4. Western Africa (October 2024)
The October 16, 2024, Regional Open Science Dialogue engaged leaders from Western African higher education institutions, aiming to deepen understanding of Open Science practices. This dialogue, led by the Association of African Universities (AAU), Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) and Consortium of Academic and Research Libraries in Ghana (CARLIGH), is part of an ongoing continental series. Initiated in Tanzania for Eastern African leaders and expanded to Northern and Southern Africa, the series focuses on the adoption of Open Science principles, highlighting its importance for research and institutional growth across Africa’s educational landscape.Access the recording here:

In May 2022, EASTECO, TCC Africa, and PLOS officially announced their partnership to advance Open Science and Open Access principles across the East African Community (EAC) Partner States.

As part of this collaboration, the trio hosted a regional workshop on 22nd September 2022 that brought together key stakeholders, including representatives from East African Community Research Councils, Universities, and funding agencies, to address critical barriers to Open Science. The goal is to promote Open Science adoption across the region, improving research visibility and accessibility and accelerating the integration of scientific knowledge into policymaking and socio-economic development. Access the recording here:

The 3rd East African Community (EAC) Regional Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) Conference, held from March 6-8, 2024 in Nairobi, Kenya, marked a significant milestone for the region with the launch of the East African Regional Science, Technology and Innovation Policy 2023-2033 & the East African Regional Intellectual Property (IP) Policy 2023-2033.What distinguishes this achievement is the groundbreaking integration of Open Science principles into the new policy framework—an unprecedented step for both the region and Africa. This inclusion is expected to unlock the potential of scientific research and promote sustainable development throughout East Africa. Detailed objectives for Open Science within various sectors are provided on page 29 of the policy document.
Find the press release here