Open access and research dissemination in Africa

In this paper, we explore open access performance within Africa, and specifically in four African countries to understand the progress of higher education and research institutions towards openness. This includes contributions from Ghana, Rwanda and South Africa, investigating open research output and dissemination through repositories and open access published sources. Analysis of institutional policies and institutional repositories supporting the production of open, diverse and equitable knowledge provides context in the countries investigated. The study is significant in its use of a variety of sources to understand the open knowledge landscape in four African countries.