Governance Statement for AfricArXiv

AfricArXiv is a not-for-profit, community-owned digital archive for African research. Under the stewardship of UbuntuNet Alliance, and the coordination of Access 2 Perspectives, it is designed to advancing African research and fostering a vibrant, inclusive, and interconnected research community across the continent. Through collaborative governance, strategic partnerships, and a commitment to capacity building, we aim for AfricArXiv to be a cornerstone of African scholarly communication and research management. As a service hosted and provided by the UbuntuNet Alliance, AfricArXiv is dedicated to enhancing the visibility of African research output, fostering collaboration among African researchers, and supporting the development of a robust, inclusive, and equitable African research ecosystem.

Governance Structure

Hosting and Provision

  • UbuntuNet Alliance: As the primary host and provider, UbuntuNet Alliance is responsible for the overall infrastructure, technological support, and strategic oversight of AfricArXiv. The Alliance ensures that the platform remains accessible, secure, and aligned with the broader objectives of promoting open science and research development across Africa:
    • Maintain and develop the technical infrastructure of AfricArXiv.
    • Provide strategic oversight and governance.
    • Ensure the platform’s sustainability and compliance with relevant policies and regulations.

Coordination and Management

  • Access 2 Perspectives: Contracted by UbuntuNet Alliance, Access 2 Perspectives continues to coordinate AfricArXiv’s operations. This includes managing day-to-day activities, overseeing submission processes, ensuring quality control, and facilitating the integration of AfricArXiv with other scholarly services:
    • Coordinate and manage AfricArXiv’s daily operations.
    • Support authors, reviewers, and editors throughout the submission and review process.
    • Organize capacity-building activities for African research stakeholders, such as training workshops and webinars.
    • Foster partnerships with research institutions, funding agencies, and other relevant organizations.

Advisory Board

  • Advisory Board: Comprising representatives from African research institutions, funding bodies, and other key stakeholders, the Advisory Board provides strategic guidance and expertise to AfricArXiv. The Board meets regularly to review progress, set priorities, and ensure that AfricArXiv’s activities align with the needs and interests of the African research community.
    • Offer strategic guidance and support to AfricArXiv’s leadership.
    • Advocate for the interests of the African research community.
    • Assist in the development of policies and procedures that promote transparency, inclusivity, and equity.

Scholarly Services and Capacity Building

AfricArXiv, through Access 2 Perspectives, provides a range of scholarly services and capacity-building initiatives, including but not limited to:

  • Preprint Repository: A platform for African researchers to share their preprints, ensuring early dissemination of research findings and fostering collaboration.
  • Training and Workshops: Regularly organized events aimed at building research capacity, enhancing scholarly communication skills, and promoting open science practices among African researchers.
  • Collaborative Projects: Facilitation of cross-institutional and cross-disciplinary research collaborations across Africa and globally.
  • Outreach and Advocacy: Efforts to raise awareness about the importance of open access and the role of AfricArXiv in supporting African research.

Commitment to Open Science

AfricArXiv is committed to the principles of open science, ensuring that research outputs are freely accessible, reusable, and interoperable. We adhere to international standards and best practices for data sharing and open access publishing, and we actively promote these principles within the African research community.

About UbuntuNet Alliance

UBUNTUNET ALLIANCE FOR RESEARCH AND EDUCATION NETWORKING is the alliance of Eastern and Southern African National Research and Education Networks (NRENs) supporting a vibrant connected research and education community.

Website: https://ubuntunet.net/

About Access 2 Perspectives

As a scholarly training and consulting organization, Access 2 Perspectives is providing novel insights into the globally inclusive management and communication of Research based on Open Science principles and standards.

AfricArxiv is one of our key initiatives, launched in 2018. On behalf of AfricArXiv, we partner with scholarly stakeholders from within and outside Africa to establish a scholarly discoverability and publishing platform that primarily serves African scholarly stakeholders, such as researchers, research institutions, libraries, publishers, and policymakers, while at the same time informing the global scholarly community by fostering collaboration and knowledge exchange.

Website: https://access2perspectives.org

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