WACREN

📢 Today, we announce Kathleen Shearer, ED of @coar_repositories@mastodon.social as the Closing Keynote Speaker at the #WACREN2026

👉 https://wacren2026.wacren.net/?profile=keynote-2

For 20 years, Kathleen has helped shape a more interoperable and collaborative research communication ecosystem through #openrepositories and shared standards.

Her closing keynote will highlight how #openinfrastructure and trusted #scholarlycommunication ecosystems are strengthening Africa’s capacity to contribute to the global knowledge economy. 👏 👏

LIBSENSE will hold the #OpenScience Symposium – The Gambia 🇬🇲 as part of the pre-events of #WACREN2026 in Banjul.

The symposium will convene university leaders, graduate deans, librarians, early career researchers, IT directors, policymakers, climate agencies, and national archives.

It forms part of LIBSENSE National Open Science Roadmaps activities aimed at strengthening national open science policies across Africa.

#digitalsovereignty #WACRENinBanjul

At the #WACREN2026 Conference in #Banjul 🇬🇲 Session 1 - 'AI Infrastructure for Advancing Digital Education' will discuss embedding #AI in Africa’s #research and #education platforms.

Watch out for the WACREN #EduAI initiative.

=> https://wacren2026.wacren.net/general-schedule#thursday-session1

#WACREN2026 #EduAI #DigitalSovereignty #WACRENinBanjul

📢 Pleased to announce a new Board of Directors for #WACREN. The new Board brings together distinguished leaders and experts to provide strategic direction and governance for the next phase of our growth and regional impact.

More here => https://wacren.net/en/news/wacren-announces-new-board-of-directors/

#LIBSENSE is hosting an #OpenScience ECR Leadership Workshop on April 28-29, 2026, and we're looking for passionate early career researchers from Nigerian universities to join us. 🟩🟩👩‍🎓 🏫

🔹 It's a pilot program where we'll co-create practical leadership frameworks and toolkits designed for the Nigerian research context.
🔹 Selected participants will become ECR Champions, taking on leadership and mentoring roles for 12 months.

Deadline: February 28, 2026

Apply here: https://libsense.ren.africa/news/696a5634ba80c9edfee43b9a

#WACREN2026 is just next month! Register now and prepare to join the African #research and #education community as we gather in ✈️ The Gambia - 'Smiling Coast of Africa' to chart the course for #digital sovereignty for Africa's digital ecosystem.
Register -https://wacren2026.wacren.net/register

The Gambia - 'The Smiling Coast of #Africa' is waiting to welcome you to #WACREN2026 Conference to be held at the magnificent Banjul International Convention Centre.

Take advantage of our Early Bird rates to register now and join us. Early Bird registration ends on Saturday, January 31, 2026.
💰 Participants in Africa: $100
💰 Participants outside Africa: $150

Register here: https://wacren2026.wacren.net/register to secure your seat and join the conversation that will shape Africa for digital sovereignty.

🚀 The ORCID-WACA Project kicks off with two calls:

• ORCID-WACA Community of Practice (CoP)
• ORCID-WACA Ambassador Programme

The calls aim to strengthen researcher identification, improve attribution of scholarly outputs, and embed #PIDs across research ecosystems in West & Central #Africa 🌍

👥 Open to librarians, researchers, repository managers, publishers & research administrators.

👉 Join or apply:
https://libsense.ren.africa/news/69560020203dbf3802293e13

#ORCID #OpenScience #AfricanResearch #LIBSENSE

🚀 WACREN is hiring a Chief Technology Officer to lead our technical and technology potforlio.

✉️ Apply: vacancy@wacren.net
Details: https://wacren.net/en/about-us/careers/terms-of-reference-for-chief-technology-officer-wacren/

📅 Deadline: January 31, 2026

#CTO #AfricaTech #WACREN

🎉 Early bird registration for WACREN 2026 is officially open! Head here - https://wacren2026.wacren.net/register

Register now and secure your Early Bird spot with a discounted conference fees. Don’t miss out on joining us in Banjul on March 26 & 27, 2026.

#WACREN2026 #Research #Education #Africa

Join a vibrant network of African no-fee journal editors, researchers and publishers united by a shared commitment to advancing Diamond #OpenAccess (OA) publishing in Africa. This is your opportunity to share ideas and discussions that will shape solutions for equity and visibility challenges facing the African scholarly landscape.

Read more - https://libsense.ren.africa/diamond-open-access-community-of-practice

Apply to join CoP - https://survey.wacren.net/index.php/554888

WACREN, with CAMES, MESRI, MDENP & UV-BF with support from EIFL hosts a national #DiamondOpenAccess (DOA) workshop on 13 Nov 2025 at UVBF, Ouagadougou.
📌Goals: agree on the national DOA policy framework & launch the pilot publishing platform.
🔗 https://indico.wacren.net/event/255/

WACREN, through the #AfricaConnect project and #AfricaDigitalCampus (ADC), is supporting the full integration of #FasoREN (Burkina Faso NREN)🇧🇫 into the regional WACREN network.

This milestone will enhance national and regional collaboration, boost research 📚 capacity, and empower universities and researchers across Burkina Faso to connect with global research and education networks.

#DigitalTransformation #ResearchAndEducation #OpenScience #Connectivity

At the LIBSENSE-DOAJ #OAWeek2025 webinar, our speaker today, Dr. Oluchi Okere , @DOAJ@masto.ai Ambassador for West Africa, shed more light on:
👉 what DOAJ indexing represents,
👉 why it matters for hashtag#African scholarly journals, among others

Watch recorded video here - https://video.wacren.net/media/Strengthening+African+scholarly+journals+through+the+Directory+of+Open+Access+Journals+%28DOAJ%29/0_jtsk7jnp

Watch out for the French edition of this webinar on October 30, 2025. Details here - https://indico.wacren.net/event/251/

The #CyberSecurityMonth 🌍reminds us that cybersecurity starts with trust. When CSIRTs build trust with each other they become stronger than the cyber criminals. Together We Are Stronger! #TrustBrokerAfrica #SecureOurWorld #AfricanCSIRTs @firstdotorg@infosec.exchange @shadowserver@infosec.exchange

RE: @WACREN@mastodon.social

This is part of the LIBSENSE activities to celebrate the #OAWeek (International Open Access Week). Register here - https://wacren.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_HJyH8rrgSz2LwF4giNDS3Q#/registration

A four-year journey of connecting six countries in our region culminates in a celebration and commitment to translate this milestone into real value for the #research and #education communities in West & Central #Africa. Thanks to the European Commission and African partners for the support under the AfricaConnect3 project.

🌍 Big announcement!

✅WACREN connects 6 new countries - 🇬🇲🇬🇳🇬🇼🇲🇷🇸🇱🇸🇳 to its high speed backbone
✅ This will catalyse global collaboration in education and research, reducing barriers of cost and connectivity
✅ The upgraded network will also power WACREN’s climate programme

With support from the #AfricaConnect programme co-funded by the European Union and African partners.

Read the full blog here 👉 https://wacren.net/en/news/wacren-connects-six-new-countries-and-sets-foundation-for-climate-programme/

Stay tuned! Something is loading...🎉 @geant@mstdn.social @investinopen@indieweb.social @renater@mstdn.social @nordunet@mastodon.social @internet2@mastodon.social @EUCommission@ec.social-network.europa.eu

Thursday, September 18, 2024. A day we will never forget. Join us in observing a minute of silence in honour of our cherished former CEO. #NeverForgotten @geant@mstdn.social @renater@mstdn.social @nordunet@mastodon.social