Since 2021, PLOS and TCC Africa have worked together to make open science more inclusive, locally grounded, and meaningful for African researchers. This began from a core desire to ensure African research communities’ interests and values were better represented in PLOS publications and to co-create pathways to a more equitable open science future. Since then, we’ve built networks, relationships and further partnerships based around open science awareness and education, regional capacity building, and policy engagement across the continent.
With the partnership now renewed through 2027, PLOS and TCC Africa will continue to build on established work across multiple countries, with a focus on long-term, sustainable outcomes. This includes expanding national and regional open science dialogues, supporting institutional and national policy review and monitoring, deepening capacity-building efforts, and strengthening engagement with early career researchers.
This work reflects a shared understanding that open science cannot be advanced through a one-size-fits-all approach. Instead, it must be locally informed, responsive to diverse research environments, and co-created with the communities it aims to serve. As Roheena Anand, Executive Director of Global Publishing Development and Sales at PLOS, explains:
“For PLOS, open science is not just about increasing access to knowledge—it’s about asking whether it is truly working for the communities it is intended to serve. That’s why co-creation is central to this partnership. Our work with TCC Africa over the last five years has enabled us to listen to and engage with local stakeholders: to hear first-hand the barriers and challenges they face with participation in Open Science. The next phase of our work with TCC Africa builds on what we’ve learned and the programme of activities already in place, while reflecting our shared commitment to making open science more inclusive, and broadening participation for communities across Africa.”
For TCC Africa, this next phase is an opportunity to build on years of engagement across the continent. As Joy Owango, Executive Director of TCC Africa, notes:
“The renewal of our partnership with PLOS reflects our shared belief that knowledge should be accessible, discoverable, and impactful. Open science is no longer an aspiration but a necessity for strengthening Africa’s research ecosystem. Together, we are working to ensure that African researchers, institutions, and policymakers have the capacity, infrastructure, and support needed to contribute meaningfully to global knowledge production while addressing local and regional development priorities.”
Looking back: Five years of centering open science in African communities
From the outset, both organizations shared a commitment to advancing open science in ways that work for local communities. That principle continues to guide the partnership today, whether in regional, national or institutional settings.
Our work commenced in the East African region, with the signature of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the East African Commission for Science & Technology (EASTECO). One important outcome of this work was the inclusion of open science principles in the EASTECO Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) policy in March 2024. This represented a significant milestone—embedding open science within regional science governance and providing policymakers and institutions with a clear framework for implementation. Together, these efforts marked a shift from partnership-building to practical, locally led implementation.
Alongside this, our MOU and collaboration with AAU has supported a series of regional, high-level Open Science dialogues across Africa, convening university leaders, policymakers, and research stakeholders to discuss how Open Science policies and mandates can be embedded in higher education systems.
More recently, we have partnered with the Arab States Research and Education Network, expanding our regional work to North Africa. Through this route, we have continued the national open science dialogues —most recently in Morocco —creating space at country and institutional level to identify local barriers, commit to implementation, and connect national priorities back to continental goals.
What started regionally devolved nationally to Open Science dialogues with high-level stakeholders (governments, policy makers, funders, research granting councils) in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and beyond. These dialogues have created space for each country to examine how open science principles can be translated into national priorities, institutional policies, infrastructure needs, and researcher support systems.
These engagements are not one-off events; they serve as entry points for longer-term support, including institutional reforms, training programs, and ongoing technical guidance—as in Tanzania, where the national dialogue has led to new National Guidelines for the Recognition and Promotion of Scientific Journals that integrate open science platforms and more equitable publishing practices.
PLOS and TCC Africa, together with partners such as AAU, EASTECO, and ASREN, are excited to continue shaping open science policy and practice in ways that reflect local needs and priorities—helping to build a more inclusive and equitable global research ecosystem.
