Who We Are

The AFRICA PID ALLIANCE mission is to secure the future of African Innovation, Indigenous Knowledge and Cultural Heritage. We are also striving to support scientists and inventors to disseminate and commercialize their research innovations. Digitizing of research outputs is a real challenge in Africa. Through the Africa PID Alliance innovative projects, we provide reliable open research infrastructure services which provides access to knowledge and metadata about digital objects closer to the wider communities, including indigenous knowledge and patent metadata, starting from Africa. Africa PID Alliance is part of the Open Infrastructure Program of the Training Centre in Communication (TCC-AFRICA) .

Why is This Important

The Lack of digitizing research outputs is a real challenge in Africa. Through the Africa PID Alliance innovative projects, through reliable open research infrastructure services, we will make access to knowledge and metadata about digital objects closer to the wider communities, including indigenous knowledge and patent metadata, starting from Africa. We intend to solve these challenges by producing Persistent, Accessible Affordable Persistent Identifiers (PIDs) in Africa.

Introducing the Digital Object Identifier Container

Considering the fast and growing need for scholarly data infrastructures in Africa, and the diverse economic development in the continent. The reality is that some universities can afford DOIs but not for all scholarly and research output, while the bulk of research content is in gray literature in Africa. Adding to that the unicity of what the APA RA would like to specialize in, which is indigenous knowledge and cultural heritage, and patent digital object containers.

The Africa PID Alliance is proposing a hybrid digital object identification that is needed to link local created handles (prefix 20.) and DOI created via DOI Foundation (prefix 10.).
For the case of patent, a digital object identifier container would help in consolidating DOIs and locally created handle iDs that can complement the dissemination of the full picture about the research lifecycle, innovation led to the patent, and related works, documents and media.
This multilinear data model is also applicable for the case of indigenous knowledge as it consolidates biocultural attributes and scientific data in one digital object container. Another aspect is interconnecting different types of objects to be digitized. Ceremonies are a good example as it shows the presence of multiple types of cultural heritage that needs to be preserved and identified digitally: textile art, song, dance, studies inspired from that, etc.. All this data can be identified either with locally created handles, or with DOIs. The objective is to have a digital object identifier container holding all this information.
A partnership and collaboration with existing registration agencies Crossref and Datacite is needed to bring more discovery to the APA RA DOIs.
APA RA infrastructure team, which includes KENET assigned contributors, data scientist co-authors, CORDRA and APA co-leaders has already started to meet and discuss the best approaches.

Get a Persistent Identifier For:

Patent Registration Objective
Patent Registration Objective

Patent Metadata Information can be used to identify and retrieve patents, as well as to understand the context and significance of a patent.

Learn More

Cultural Heritage
Cultural Heritage

APA’s mission and projects in disseminating multidisciplinary African research outputs are key in promoting infrastructure technology readiness and open research.

Learn More

Indigenous Registration Objective
Indigenous Registration Objective

This refers to information that describes Indigenous Knowledge Resources, such as traditional stories, songs, dances, medicinal practices, and other cultural heritages.

Learn More

Africa Research Output
Africa Research Output

APA’s mission and projects in disseminating multidisciplinary African research outputs are key in promoting infrastructure technology readiness and open research.

Learn More

Phase I Pipeline of Activities

There are three phases in the Africa PID Alliance , where each phase will last 3 years. Below is Phase I of our activities, for additional details regarding the Phase II and Phase III pipeline, please refer to the concept note via this link:

Who Do We Serve

Our Partners

ALL APA Launching partners and advisory board are now committed to make persistent identification and registration of digital objects in and from Africa a reality and an open call to contribute in building a secure future for our past knowledge. We would be very much happy if you join the discussion and support our mission. By rallying worldwide support for this project you will find a great open network and space to share and contribute with your knowledge

Founding Partners

Global Partners

Our Team

PROJECT LEAD
  • Joy Owango – Training Center in Communication
  • Nabil Ksibi – ORCID