EIFL, AJOL (African Journals Online) and WACREN (the West and Central African Research and Education Network) take pleasure in announcing the award of 16 more grants that will strengthen the quality and sustainability of no-fee (Diamond) open access journals and journal hosting platforms across Africa. 

The grants were awarded to 16 projects aimed at strengthening over a hundred no-fee open access journals and platforms in nine countries (Angola, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, South Africa, Tanzania, Togo and Tunisia).

The grants were awarded through the second of two open calls for proposals for funding as part of the three-year ‘Collaboration for Sustainable Open Access Publishing in Africa’ project, implemented by EIFL, AJOL and WACREN, with funding from Wellcome. Seventeen projects from nine countries received grants through the first call in 2024.

MEET THE NEW GRANTEES

Angola

• Associação Multidiscipinar de Investigaçao Cientifica, to strengthen editorial and technical capacity of the Revista Angolana de Ciências (Angolan Journal of Sciences), and to establish partnerships and build capacity to publish articles in English in order to broaden the journal’s reach in Africa and other parts of the world. 
• Universidade Óscar Ribas has initiated a project that will strengthen the quality and visibility of its journal, SAPIENTIAE, and expand its reach and impact in Angola and other countries in Africa. 

Ethiopia

• Jimma University, to improve the accessibility, visibility, and sustainability of three journals that it publishes: the Gadaa Journal, Ethiopian Journal of Social Sciences and Language Studies, and Ethiopian Journal of Education and Sciences. 
• Hawassa University, to enhance the quality and sustainability of five journals: Hawassa University Journal of Law, the Journal of Science and Development, the East African Journal of Biophysical and Computational Science, the ETIOINQUIRY Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities and the Journal of Forestry and Natural Resources. 

Ghana

• Ghana Library Authority, for a project that aims to transform the Ghana Library Journal into a more robust, visible, and sustainable Diamond open access journal.
• Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) has initiated a project that aims to enhance the sustainability, quality and functionality of its official journal, the Journal of Science and Technology. 

Kenya

• Adventist University of Africa, to enhance the quality of three journals: the Pan-African Journal of Education and Social Sciences, the Pan-African Journal of Health and Environmental Science  and the Pan-African Journal of Theology. 
• Kenya Library and Information Services Consortium (KLISC), to build the management and editorial capacity of the KLISC Journal of Information Science & Knowledge Management editorial team, to provide a structured mentorship programme for new editors, to train reviewers and modernize the journal’s publishing infrastructure. 
• Technical University of Mombasa, to enhance the quality and sustainability of the Multidisciplinary Journal of Technical University of Mombasa by building capacity of the editorial team, improving publishing infrastructure, and improving visibility of the journal through indexing, search engine optimization and online outreach.
• East African Association of Neurological Surgeons, to strengthen the East African Journal of Neurological Sciences by improving infrastructure, building editorial capacity, optimizing editorial workflows and boosting visibility through indexing, search engine optimization, and digital outreach.  

Morocco

• Centre National pour la Recherche Scientifique et Technique, to upgrade the Moroccan Scientific Journals Portal that hosts over a hundred Diamond open access journals. 

South Africa

• The African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes, to help the journal navigate a complex publishing landscape that is increasingly being influenced by large language models and artificial intelligence programmes; to capacitate its editorial staff; and to sustain the visibility of the journal. 
• The Institute for African Alternatives, to improve the visibility, reach and impact of its flagship journal, New Agenda.

Tanzania

• Institute of Accountancy Arusha, to strengthen the operational, editorial, and technical sustainability of the Journal of Informatics through capacity building, technological improvements, and sustainable financing mechanisms.  

Togo

• Laboratoire de botanique et Ecologie Végétale, Université de Lomé, to strengthen the editorial, technical capacity and governance of the Revue Ecosystèmes et Paysages.

Tunisia

• Gabes Higher Institute of Management, to help secure a long-term future for the bilingual (English/French) peer-reviewed academic Journal of Academic Finance by ensuring its sustainability, while continuing to improve its quality, impact and visibility.

More about the ‘Collaboration for Sustainable Open Access Publishing’ in Africa project.