The Africa PID Alliance took part in the International Open Science Forum 2025 at Daystar University, championing the critical role of open, community-driven infrastructure in shaping Africa’s open science future.
As part of the forum’s program, Joy Owango, Executive Director of the Training Centre in Communication (TCC Africa) and Africa PID Alliance project lead, participated in a panel session focused on Open Science Advocacy and infrastructure. She highlighted the importance of capacity building, stakeholder engagement, and policy advocacy to mainstream open science in Africa, while spotlighting the Africa PID Alliance as a critical initiative designed to ensure research data sovereignty across the continent.
“We asked ourselves, why isn’t Africa producing its own persistent identifiers?” Owango stated. “Through the Africa PID Alliance, we are not only creating African-originated persistent identifiers, but we are also ensuring that data remains in-country, an important step towards research sovereignty and improved data management ecosystems across Africa.”
Ms. Owango also highlighted TCC Africa’s broader Open Science advocacy efforts taking place across the continent, emphasizing the need for sustainable, African-led efforts to mainstream open practices.
Meanwhile, Nicholas Omino, representing the Africa PID Alliance team, engaged attendees at the organization’s information desk and poster presentation. Visitors learned more about the alliance’s mission and signed on to a growing Call to Action, signaling wide support for African-led data infrastructure and research sovereignty.
The forum was also the first public event for partners of the FOSTER Project: a collaborative, EU co-funded initiative supporting the digital transformation of science in Kenya and Tanzania. The project, brings together institutions from Africa and Europe, including Daystar University, Garissa University, the University of Dar es Salaam, and European partners such as Universidad de Zaragoza and VU Amsterdam.
To explore the DOCiD platform or support the movement toward ethical and visible African research, visit:https://africapidalliance.org/sign-apa/
Access the full recording of Joy Owango’s remarks here: https://www.youtube.com/live/p1noBsXV_ko?si=tQVNlbCx4TwPzniu
About Africa PID Alliance
The Africa PID Alliance is dedicated to securing the future of African innovation, indigenous knowledge, and cultural heritage. Through the provision of reliable open research infrastructure services, the alliance enables access to knowledge and metadata about digital objects, with a strong emphasis on Africa’s unique contributions to global research.The Africa PID Alliance is the Open Infrastructure program of the Training Centre in Communication. For more information, visit: https://www.doi.org/
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