Across Africa, Research4Life’s Country Connectors are strengthening local research ecosystems by empowering universities, libraries, and research institutions. Through tailored training, strategic partnerships, and capacity-building initiatives, these efforts are expanding access to valuable research resources and fostering thriving academic communities in a range of African countries.
Read more about the transformative work happening in each Country Connector country across Africa.
Angola ↓ | Democratic Republic of Congo ↓ | Ghana ↓ | Kenya ↓ | Liberia ↓ | Republic of Tanzania ↓
Senegal ↓ | Sierra Leone ↓ | Uganda ↓
Angola
The inclusion of Angola in late 2024 marks a significant milestone as it introduces the first Portuguese-speaking country to the program. This reflects Research4Life’s ongoing efforts to support non-English-speaking researchers and foster language inclusion in scholarly communication.
Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)
The DRC joined Research4Life’s Country Connectors in late 2023. Following national elections, activities resumed in early 2024, prioritizing research accessibility and community needs. A recent survey aimed to understand low service usage, with findings now guiding initiatives to strengthen the DRC’s research environment. Training sessions and outreach are supporting growth, particularly among researchers and academicians.
The Université Evangélique en Afrique (UEA), established in 1991 in the city of Bukavu is the Country Connector host institution for the Democratic Republic of the Congo. As its name suggests, the UEA is a university with an African dimension that aims to contribute to the development of the continent by training executives not only with a scientific ethos but also ethical and moral skills.
Ghana
Ghana is a high usage country, vast in geographical size and has a high level of research output. To implement the Country Connectors Network project, Research4Life has partnered with the Ghana Library Association to utilize its large librarian network to expand research support across institutions. With continuous webinars and town hall meetings, Research4Life maintains a strong presence. Ghanaian Country Connectors are exploring South-South collaborations, strengthening ties with Sierra Leone to share knowledge and strategies for enhanced impact.
Kenya
Kenya’s research landscape is rapidly developing with robust support from national policy and library associations. The first quarter of 2024 saw over 30 ambassadors gathering virtually, with targeted outreach at institutions with low or no usage of Research4Life resources. These initiatives are helping to build capacity and address gaps in research access.
Liberia
Liberia is a small coastal country in West Africa. One of the key challenges in the country is lack of developed infrastructure, especially road infrastructure. This makes it imperative to have local support to enable continued outreach work and support.
Liberia is witnessing positive impacts through Research4Life, evidenced by increasing publications and workshops across major universities. Training in research access, particularly in health sciences, is enhancing institutional resources, with notable improvements at Cuttington University where advocacy has resulted in new technological support for the library system.
Republic of Tanzania
To implement the Country Connectors Network project, Research4Life has partnered with the University of Dodoma (UDOM) in the United Republic of Tanzania. The visibility of the research from the United Republic of Tanzania is key to the country’s economic growth and this is also supported by the Research4Life strategy. Tanzania leverages its strong professional library associations for outreach on Research4Life, with Country Connectors actively involved in high-level meetings to increase awareness and usage. These efforts contribute to Research4Life’s expansion within Tanzania’s growing research and academic communities.
Senegal
The Universite Cheikh Anta Diop is the lead Country Connector for Senegal. The university has appointed two of its staff to work on the project implementation as part of the partnership. In 2024, Senegal initiated discussions on formal partnerships with regional research bodies and began assessing local publishers to enhance the visibility of their publications.
Sierra Leone
Research4Life has made notable progress in Sierra Leone, particularly through outreach and partnerships with major universities. Increased usage reflects the effectiveness of training and outreach, with activities recognized by the National Science, Technology, and Innovation Council, as well as presentations at national and regional conferences.
Uganda
With Uganda joining the Country Connector program, Research4Life is deepening its support for East African research communities, building on earlier participation from Kenya and the United Republic of Tanzania. This growing regional network is strengthening the local research ecosystem and enhancing collaboration across the continent.
