Jerry Sellanga, the Engagement Coordinator at Invest in Open Infrastructure, joined us as a guest in this webinar session, and he shared insights into the need for sustainable, community-governed infrastructure to support open research and knowledge sharing across Africa. The session explored how targeted investments can empower local initiatives, strengthen research ecosystems, and ensure that infrastructure decisions are informed by the needs of African communities.

Watch the recording

The slides are available at https://africarxiv.ubuntunet.net/handle/1/1460

Session summary

The session on open infrastructure in scholarly communication illuminated its crucial role as the community-governed, transparent technology backbone that enables equitable creation, discovery, dissemination, and preservation of research knowledge. Open infrastructure eliminates barriers imposed by paywalls or proprietary platforms, making it especially vital for under-resourced African regions. Investing in such infrastructure empowers African institutions to manage their research outputs, reduce reliance on foreign systems, and foster cross-border collaboration. This investment enhances the visibility, discoverability, and reuse of African scholarship, driving locally rooted innovation.

However, African researchers face challenges including limited internet bandwidth, a lack of institutional support, and low awareness of open tools. Many institutions depend on external platforms that are not fully adapted to local needs. Overcoming these hurdles requires capacity building, financial investment, and policy support at multiple levels.

The session highlighted how initiatives like AfricArXiv exemplify successful African-led projects that amplify visibility for local research by building community-led, sustainable governance models. Other promising developments in Kenya and Nigeria show the emergence of regionally tailored repositories and persistent identifier systems aligned with global standards.

National Research and Education Networks (NRENs) play a pivotal role by providing technical infrastructure, coordinating open initiatives, and supporting the adoption of open data systems across institutions, thereby driving collective regional progress.

To further grow and sustain open infrastructure, individuals and organizations are encouraged to promote open tools, advocate for local hosting of repositories, partner with community-led projects, and engage policymakers by connecting infrastructure investments to national development goals. The session inspired African researchers and institutions with practical steps and the assurance that support for open infrastructure exists and can be leveraged to strengthen Africa’s scholarly ecosystem and global research presence.

Related resources

• Invest in Open Infrastructure’s website: https://investinopen.org/

Speaker’s profile

Jerry Sellanga currently works on the Invest in Open Infrastructure (IOI) team as Engagement Coordinator, Networks, where he uses his expertise to expand IOI’s audiences through events, digital communications, and stakeholder management, especially in Africa. He specializes in strategic communications, graphic design, proposal development, and public relations.

Jerry holds a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies (Community Development) from Kenyatta University, Kenya, as well as a post-graduate diploma in Public Relations. He is currently undertaking a Masters in Development Communications from Daystar University. Before joining IOI, Jerry held senior roles in communication and marketing in the wildlife conservation, agriculture, and social impact sectors.

In his spare time, Jerry is passionate about sports and spending time outdoors hiking.

LinkedIn: /jsellanga/
ORCID: 0009-0006-1224-0548

About the webinar series

This webinar was co-organized by UbuntuNet Alliance and Access 2 Perspectives as part of the ORCID Global Participation Program.

ORCID is the persistent identifier for researchers to share their accomplishments (research articles, data, etc with funding agencies, publishers, data repositories, and other research workflows.

AfricArXiv is a community-led digital archive for African research communication. By enhancing the visibility of African research, we enable discoverability and collaboration opportunities for African scientists on the continent as well as globally.