Understanding the scientific publishing ecosystem
Knowledge production remains at the heart of the crisis of modernity in Africa. It is a key issue for unlocking post-independence growth, international development across the continent, sustainable development and entrepreneurship. The multiple crises of structural adjustment, the effects of the 2008 global financial crisis, and that caused by the current Covid-19 pandemic, demonstrate how crucial and urgent it is to invest in the development and strengthening of Africa’s knowledge ecosystem, in order to better prepare it for a rapidly digitizing world, where artificial intelligence and remote living, without the traditional physical contact and conviviality for which the continent is celebrated, are becoming increasingly important.
This research project undertakes an in-depth continent-wide study of the state of scholarly publishing and dissemination in Africa. The study will profile, document and investigate the history, work and challenges facing university presses, independent publishers, and all other online platforms used by researchers in Africa. The research is motivated by the need for intervention to develop, strengthen and promote scholarly publishing across the African continent, given the collapse of knowledge infrastructure since the early eighties, as well as the urgency for African academic institutions to develop the necessary tools for equitable and meaningful participation in the knowledge economy that underpins AI. The added value of this project is that it will also provide a much-needed report and database on the continent’s knowledge producers, the first detailed mapping of its kind in this sector. This will provide valid and reliable data to undertake a business analysis of how best to develop and invest in a profitable, equitable and sustainable knowledge infrastructure and ecosystem that promotes the autonomy and visibility of African researchers on a global scale. This will be particularly useful for policy-makers, higher education institutions and other stakeholders in scientific publishing.
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