Mazungumzo - African Scholarly Conversations

For many years, African libraries have been struggling to keep up with the rest of the world in terms of access to scientific information and resources. This has led to a situation where valuable research findings are often shelved and not shared with the wider scientific community, and libraries are forced to operate with limited resources, hindering their ability to provide quality services to their users. In this episode, we are joined by Mr. Lazarus Gallant Matizirofa, the Deputy Director of the Department of Library Services at the University of Pretoria, to discuss among other things, how African libraries are embracing open science to address the challenges of shelved research and poor library funding. Mr. Matizirofa is a true pioneer in the open scholarship community, working tirelessly to promote open-access publishing and preservation of electronic theses and dissertations. Lazarus is a pioneer in the world of open scholarship and research visibility, with a wealth of experience in the field. He is a member of the Confederation of Open Access Repositories (COAR) Next Generation Repositories Working Group, and was a Technical Advisory Board member for the African Open Science Platform (AOSP) from 2017 to 2019. He also served as a member of the Steering Committee for the SA-EU Open Science Dialogue in 2018 and 2019. Connect with Lazarus Matizirofa Chikere through: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lazarus-gallant-matizirofa-ba983016/?originalSubdomain=za Read the transcript of this episode through our website: https://www.tcc-africa.org/news-room/ Follow Training Centre in Communication(TCC Africa) on: Twitter: https://twitter.com/tccafrica Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tccafrica LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/training-centre-in-communication/

Today’s episode features the inspiring story of Professor Chioma Blaise Chikere, a visionary leader and scientist, who is breaking barriers and defying stereotypes in research. As a mother and African woman, she's on a mission to show the world the potential of women and the importance of giving them a voice. Hear her story of overcoming academic bias and progressing to a successful career in academia. Prof. Chioma proves that if you're not given a seat at the table, bring your own folding seat and create a space for yourself. Professor Chioma Blaise Chikere is a full Professor in the Department of Microbiology, University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria. Her area of specialization is Environmental Microbiology and Biotechnology with a focus on the bioremediation of hydrocarbon-polluted matrices and biomining for hydrocarbon-degradative genes in hydrocarbon-degrading microbes using high-end sequencing techniques. She is the Director, Entrepreneurial Centre University of Port Harcourt, and was most recently appointed by the International Society for Microbial Ecology (ISME) Wageningen, the Netherlands, as The Senior Country Ambassador for Nigeria. Connect with Chioma Blaise Chikere through: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chioma-blaise-chikere-phd-she-a5818a32/ Read the transcript of this episode through our website: https://www.tcc-africa.org/news-room/ Follow Training Centre in Communication(TCC Africa) on: Twitter: https://twitter.com/tccafrica Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tccafrica LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/training-centre-in-communication/

Kickstarting our podcast series this year is self-proclaimed ‘woman in science’, widely published soil scientist and the National Chairperson, the Organisation for Women in Science for the Developing World (OWSD) Nigeria Chapter, Professor Olayinka Nwachukwu. She talks about how her work with the Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World (OWSD) is promoting gender equality in science and technology in Nigeria, and how this can lead to more inclusive and sustainable solutions to local and global problems. She also shares her personal experiences as a woman in science offering advice to young women and early career researchers on the challenges and opportunities that exist particularly in Nigeria. Visit the Organisation for Women in Science for the Developing World (OWSD) here: https://owsd.net/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/OwsdSecretariat Facebook: https://web.facebook.com/owsd.net Connect Olayinka Nwachukwu through: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/olayinka-nwachukwu-ph-d-58624026/?originalSubdomain=ng Read the transcript of this episode through our website: https://www.tcc-africa.org/news-room/ Follow Training Centre in Communication(TCC Africa) on: Twitter: https://twitter.com/tccafrica Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tccafrica LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/training-centre-in-communication/

If you are a researcher, you are probably familiar with the research lifecycle and all the challenges and opportunities that come with it. With this in mind, Eider Africa- a women-led social enterprise, has been working towards supporting researchers by providing a safe space for mentorship throughout the research life cycle and amplifying the voices of African researchers. In this episode, Ms. Aurelia Munene, the founder of Eider Africa expounds on her journey in growing a vibrant community of research journal clubs and developing transformative inclusive research mentorship for African researchers who face unique challenges and barriers in their academic careers. Ms. Aurelia Munene is an international researcher in gender, sexual reproductive health, children, and youth, and a research mentor coordinator with over 15 years of experience in the development and humanitarian space. She is also a steward and research mentor at the AuthorAid research community.  Learn more about Eider Africa here: https://eiderafricaltd.org/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/EiderAfrica Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eiderafricalimited Connect with Aurelia Munene through: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aurelia-munene-989b9062/  Read the transcript of this episode through our website: https://www.tcc-africa.org/news-room/ Follow Training Centre in Communication(TCC Africa) on: Twitter: https://twitter.com/tccafrica Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tccafrica LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/training-centre-in-communication/

This episode features the genesis of a four-part regional blended workshop addressing the pushback and advocating for the Adoption and Implementation of Open Science and Open Access practices in member institutions of the AAU. It features various higher education stakeholders including Presidents, Vice-Chancellors, Rectors, Deputy Vice-Chancellors, Directors of Research, and Libraries of African Universities. Leading the discussions are Roheena Anand of PLOS, Ana Persic of UNESCO, Geoffrey Boulton from the International Science Council, Olusola Bandele Oyewole the secretary general of the Association of African Universities, Tshiamo Motshegwa the director at African Open Science Platform (AOSP),  McAnthony Cobblah the Chair, Academic and Special Libraries at African Library & Information Associations & Institutions(AFLIA), Abednego Cortley of the African Association of Universities and Joy Owango of TCC Africa. Owango, J., Anand, R., Persic, A., Boulton, G., Oyewole, O. B., Motshegwa, T., & Cobblah, M. (2022).  Advocacy and Capacity Building in Open Access & Open Science to top management staff in African Higher Education Institutions. AfricArXiv. https://doi.org/10.21428/3b2160cd.01cc1daa Follow Training Centre in Communication(TCC Africa) on: Twitter: https://twitter.com/tccafrica Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tccafrica LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/training-centre-in-communication/

Do African Researchers understand what open access entails? What Open-Access Academic Publishing infrastructure is available in Africa to support researchers? We are joined by  Elizabeth Marincola, from Africa Academy of Sciences Open Research, Matt Hodgkinson from Africa’s oldest Open Access publishing Hindawi and Osman Aldirdiri from AfricArxiv, Africa’s own preprint repository in this discussion. Hodgkinson, M., Marincola, E., Aldirdiri, O., & Owango, J. (2020). State of Open Access in Africa and its Implication on Researchers [Webinar]. AfricArXiv. https://doi.org/10.21428/3b2160cd.845bf0c3 Follow Training Centre in Communication(TCC Africa) on: Twitter: https://twitter.com/tccafrica Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tccafrica LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/training-centre-in-communication/

Today’s episode features an engaging session on ‘Open Science & Open Access Principles and Practices in East African Community Partner States’ by Dr. Sylvance Okoth the Executive Secretary of The East African Science and Technology Commission (EASTECO), Joy Owango of TCC Africa, Ana Persic of UNESCO, Nokuthula Mchunu of the African Open Science Platform(AOSP), Rhoda Wanyenze of Makerere University, and Roheena Anand of PLOS, with the objective to create awareness and engrain Open Science and Open Access practices in the East African Region to ensure the community reaps the benefits for accelerated regional integration and social economic development.

‘You need to fall in love with and maximize the problem if you are looking to be able to come up with a brilliant solution”, asserts our guest, Ms. Agnes Tsuma as she narrates her journey coming into research innovation and commercialization. This episode features an engaging conversation that highlights the existing opportunities for early career innovators in Kenya, the current state of industry-academia linkage, and the strategic steps by KENIA to propel research outputs and technology from our institutions to the marketplace. Agnes Tsuma is a research, innovation, and grants management professional with 10+ years of multifaceted experience with well-established international institutions. She is currently the Manager of Innovation Commercialization at the Kenya National Innovation Agency (KeNIA), and was a TCC Africa trainee in 2021. Visit the Kenya National Innovation Agency (KENIA) here: https://www.innovationagency.go.ke/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/KENIAupdates Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KeNIAupdates Connect with Agnes Tsuma through: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/agnes-tsuma-54618531/ Read the transcript of this episode through our website: https://www.tcc-africa.org/news-room/ Follow Training Centre in Communication(TCC Africa) on: Twitter: https://twitter.com/tccafrica Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tccafrica LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/training-centre-in-communication/

In today’s feature episode, speakers from African Journals Online (AJOL) Susan Murray, Kate Snow, and Kylie Van Zyl demonstrated the pertinence of Digital Object Identifiers (DOI) in the fostering discoverability of African research outputs and journals as well as how to practically implement the DOI’s within the journals. The meeting was hosted by Training Centre in Communication (TCC Africa) executive director, Joy Owango. Owango, J., Murray, S., Snow, K., & Zyl, K. V. (2022). Using Digital Object identifiers to Increase Discoverability of African Journal Articles. AfricArXiv. https://doi.org/10.21428/3b2160cd.f2a2460a

This episode contains dynamic discussions on the importance of peer review in scholarly communication and African perspectives that need to be included in peer review by a panel of experts in various fields. The panel consists of Dr. Raoul Kamadjeu- Co-founder and Managing Editor at the Pan African Medical Journal (PAMJ), Dr. Stella Osoro Kerongo- Researcher and Clinical Psychologist at Kenya Power and Lighting Company (KPLC), Mr. Nicholas Outa- Doctorate candidate in the field of Fisheries and Aquaculture at Maseno University and Prof. Ruth Oniang’o, Ph.D.- Editor-in-Chief and Founder at African Journal of Food Agriculture, Nutrition and Development (AJFAND).

Sub-Saharan Africa [is said to] account[s] for 13.5% of the global population but less than 1% of global research output. Part of the problem is that there is low visibility of its research output. Open access repositories have created a paradigm shift in enhancing African research output. Where are these repositories and how can we take advantage of them? How should African researchers make use of these repositories to increase their visibility? Catch up with Jo Havemann, Mark Hahnel, Mark Snyders, Stephanie Kitchen, and Joy Owango, the panelist of the session to find out more! Havemann, J., Hahnel, M., Snyders, M., Kitchen, S., & Owango, J. (2021). Enhancing African Research Visibility Through Use of Repositories [Webinar]. AfricArXiv. https://doi.org/10.21428/3b2160cd.f955ebed

In this episode, we get insights from Titi Ajay- Doing a Ph.D. in Africa, and Andy Nobes- AuthorAID on research capacity support systems that exist for Ph.D. Scholars in Africa. Ajayi, T., Nobes, A., & Owango, J. (2020). Research Capacity Support Systems for Ph.D. Scholars in Africa [Webinar]. AfricArXiv. https://doi.org/10.21428/3b2160cd.bf2fbd69

One of the impacts of the globalization of higher education is the creation and rise of global rankings and its effect on the competitive nature of universities as we know them. Join Joy Owango, Lisa Bonney- Institutional researcher at the University of Johannesburg, Denyse Webbstock- Senior Director at the University of Johannesburg, and Prof. Ahmed Bawa - CEO, Universities South Africa as they debunk the influence of university rankings on the strategic decisions they make in regards to how they use the results to increase their visibility, attract top talent, funding and collaboration. Owango, J., Bonney, L., Webbstock, D., & Bawa, A. (2021). Influence of University Rankings on African Research Visibility. AfricArXiv. https://doi.org/10.21428/3b2160cd.7d712cbd

There are 526 journals indexed in the African bibliographic database African Journals Online (AJOL). Of these 526 journals, 32 countries have submitted their publications in the database. This episode features the webinar titled, 'What Does it Take To Produce High-Impact African Journals?', where guest speakers Raoul Kamadjeu of PAMJ, Susan Murray of African Journal Online (AJOL), and Joy Owango of TCC Africa debunk why it is seemingly hard to produce and sustain good quality journals and what it takes to produce high impact and credible journals. Kamadjeu, R., Murray, S., & Owango, J. (2020). What Does it Take To Produce High-Impact African Journals? [Webinar]. AfricArXiv. https://doi.org/10.21428/3b2160cd.a7edca13

Former TCC Africa trainee, Mr. Kenneth Monjero fondly known as Dr. Fun, shares how his passion for science communication has inspired his academic journey and led him to promote the accessibility of science and scientific innovations to better the lives of children and youth in Africa through his organization, Fun & Education Global Network. Fun & Education Global Network seeks to improve lives globally through interactive learning experiences, sharing information, mentorship, and teamwork to better the lives of children, teens, and youth. Kenneth Monjero is a biotechnologist working with Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO Biotech). He is also the Lead of KALRO Children Science Centre and postgraduate in Crop Science from the University of Nairobi.  Visit the Fun & Education Global Network website here: https://www.fegne.org/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/FegneGlobe Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FEGNeGlobe Connect with Kenneth Monjero through: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kenneth-monjero-0806493b/ Read the transcript of this episode through our website: https://www.tcc-africa.org/news-room/ Follow Training Centre in Communication(TCC Africa) on: Twitter: https://twitter.com/tccafrica Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tccafrica LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/training-centre-in-communication/

'Open Science will happen whether you're on it or not as the world moves through an era of digitization,' affirms our guest, Dr. Nokuthula Mchunu, the Deputy- Director of the African Open Science Platform (AOSP) and a Senior Researcher from the Agricultural Research Council of South Africa in the Biotechnology Platform.  In this episode, Dr. Mchunu shares her perspective on where Africa, and especially South Africa, falls on the shift toward the Open Science movement, the importance of stakeholder involvement from researchers, scientists, industries, legislators down to the ordinary citizen in drafting and implementing the science and innovation policies and how Africa can position herself to actively contribute to the global scientific community while aligning this openness with the protection of the Indigenous Knowledge ecosystem. She also shares on how the Africa Open Science Platform (AOSP) is working to mobilize the scientific community in Africa in responding to the imperatives of open science and the opportunities of the digital revolution and promoting the value and exploiting the potential of specifically Open Data. Resources referenced in this episode: https://unfccc.int/kyoto_protocol https://aosp.org.za/memberships/ Visit the Africa Open Science Platform (AOSP) website here:  https://aosp.org.za/about-us/ Connect with Dr. Nokuthula Mchunu through: LinkedIn Read the transcript of this episode through our website: https://www.tcc-africa.org/news-room/ Follow Training Centre in Communication(TCC Africa) on: Twitter: https://twitter.com/tccafrica Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tccafrica LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/training-centre-in-communication/

In this launch episode, we introduce Mazungumzo, 'African Scholarly Conversations' and the purpose of the podcast. Join us and get to hear various stakeholders in the world of academia share their perspectives on scholarly and science communication, and share their candid stories on their research journey.