Africa leads the way in open access research, says expert

African institutions are already leading on aspects of open access to research, but key questions remain about how this leadership could be harnessed to support a central future for African researchers, according to open access research expert Professor Cameron Neylon from Curtin University, Australia. Neylon questioned how capacity and infrastructure would be maintained, sustained and grown to support future leadership to advance African scholarship, during a webinar as part of Open Access Week organised by the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf). Open Access Week started in 2008 and has been observed globally this year from 19 to 25 October, with the theme: “Open with Purpose: Taking action to build structural equity and inclusion”. According to Neylon, an overview of the progress made towards open access scholarship shows that there has been “massive progress” over the last decade.