Tanzania’s National Open Science Dialogue: Exploring Challenges and Opportunities towards an Open Science Ecosystem

13 March 2023 Categories: latest news, News

Statement of Intent

“We will continue to implement Open Science practices in Tanzania and we are willing to address the unforeseeable challenges that would arise from it.

It is in this spirit we as the representative of policy actors from the United Republic of Tanzania continue to support the implementation of Open Science with leadership from the Tanzania Commission for Science and Technology (COSTECH)”

By invitation from the Government of Tanzania through the Consortium of Tanzania University and Research Libraries (COTUL), the Tanzania Commission for Universities (TCU) and the Tanzania Commission for Science and Technology (COSTECH), higher education leaders and policy makers from Tanzania, gathered for a high level national Open Science Policy Dialogue on 15^th February 2023 in Dar-Es -Salaam.

This was the first of a series of national-level conversations on Open Science aimed at advocating for its implementation in East Africa. The initiative

has been an ongoing effort by the organizers- Training Centre in Communication (TCC Africa), the Public Library of Science (PLOS) and the East African Science and Technology Commission (EASTECO) to ensure that national conversations on Open Science are represented in the regional STI policy.

“PLOS is honored to be part of this collaboration with the Training Centre in Communication (TCC Africa) and the East African Commission for Science & Technology to advocate for the implementation of Open Science at a national level in East African countries,” said Roheena Anand, Executive Director, Global Publishing Development at PLOS. “Tanzania are already active in this space, but the joint statement from key actors represents a country-wide high-level commitment to progress the implementation of open science policy. At PLOS, we are invested in increasing equitable participation in open science, whether via non-APC business models, more inclusive publishing criteria, or initiatives to encourage more open science practice. However, we can’t do this alone and solutions need to be co-developed with stakeholders so that they reflect the cultural contexts and the local scholarly research ecosystems in which communities work. That’s why collaborations such as these are so important; so that we can hear directly from stakeholders in those ecosystems as to what works for them and what doesn’t.”

The East African Community(EAC) recognizes the benefits of open science such as increased rigor, accountability and reproducibility of research, based on the principles of inclusion, fairness, equity, and sharing. The community notes that It promotes efficiency by guaranteeing greater access to scientific data and information, thereby improving the effectiveness and productivity of the research system.

EAC has therefore taken deliberate steps to engrain principles and practices of open science within the regional science, technology and innovation system as evidenced by the provisions in the Draft EAC STI Policy and other related instruments. We look forward to working with Partner State governments and agencies to fully realize this noble goal for the benefit of the citizens the region.

The objective of the Tanzania national dialogue was to recognize the challenges that exist in the implementation of open science and to define the next steps for implementing a national open science initiative . These include intellectual property issues, unavailability of necessary internet infrastructure and coverage, poor attitude changes to innovation, lack of resources and approaches to surfing the internet for Open Science resources, and the lack of a concise research dissemination framework among others.

To address these challenges, several actionable steps were suggested and a call made for the development of a national open science policy by COSTECH, which would guide research dissemination, raw data sharing, and incentivization for open science practices. The attending higher education and policy actors were committed to supporting the implementation of Open Science with leadership from the Tanzania Commission for Science and Technology (COSTECH) as evidenced by their Statement of Intent as detailed below:

“We will continue to implement Open Science practices in Tanzania and we are willing to address the unforeseeable challenges that would arise from it.

The stakeholders also emphasized the importance of involvement from all concerned parties in promoting an enabling environment for open science, and integrating open science and data sharing in research and educational institutions. By taking these steps, Tanzania can move towards a future where open science practices are embraced, and intellectual property is protected.

Please access the recording of the session below and as cite as indicated:

Okoth, S., Luhunga, P., Anand, R., Owango, J., Msonde, S., & Persic, A. (2023). High Level Multi- Sectoral National Open Science Dialogue for Academic and Research Institutes in Tanzania. AfricArXiv. https://doi.org/10.21428/3b2160cd.29d4cafb

About the organizers

East African Science and Technology Commission (EASTECO)

EASTECO was established as a semi-autonomous institution of the EAC by the 5th Extra-ordinary Summit of the EAC Heads of State held on 18th June 2007, in accordance with Chapter 16, Article 103 (a) of the Treaty on the Establishment of the East African Community, where the Partner States undertook to promote cooperation in the development of Science & Technology within the Community. For more information, visit https://easteco.org/

Tanzania Commission for Science and Technology (COSTECH)

The Tanzania Commission for Science and Technology is a parastatal organization affiliated with the government of Tanzania. It was created by an Act of the National Assembly of Tanzania in 1986 as a successor to the Tanzania National Scientific Research Council. For more information, visit https://costech.or.tz/

Consortium of Tanzania University and Research Libraries (COTUL)

The Consortium of Tanzania University and Research Libraries (COTUL) is a formal association of academic and research institutions for the purpose of engaging in joint information provision activities particularly; Acquisition of electronic information sources, Research, Training, Consultancy and others deemed critical in the attainment of academic excellence in learning, teaching and research in academic institutions. For more information, visit https://cotul.or.tz/

Tanzania Commission for Universities (TCU)

The Tanzania Commission for Universities (TCU) is a body corporate established on 1st July 2005, under the Universities Act 2005 (Chapter 346 of the Laws of Tanzania) with mandate to recognize, approve, register and accredit Universities operating in Tanzania, and local or foreign University level programs being offered by registered higher education institutions. It also coordinates the proper functioning of all university institutions in Tanzania so as to foster a harmonized higher education system in the country. For more information, visit https://www.tcu.go.tz/

Public Library of Science (PLOS)

PLOS is a nonprofit, open-access publisher empowering researchers to accelerate progress in science and medicine by leading a transformation in research communication. Since our founding in 2001, PLOS journals have helped break boundaries in research communication to provide more opportunities, choice, and context for researchers and readers. For more information, visit http://www.plos.org.

Training Centre in Communication (TCC Africa)

The Training Centre in Communication (TCC Africa) is the first African-based training center to teach effective communication skills to scientists. TCC Africa is an award winning Trust, established as a non-profit entity in 2006 and is registered in Kenya. TCC Africa provides capacity support in improving researchers output and visibility through training in scholarly and science communication. For more information, visit https://www.tcc-africa.org/

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Public Relations Team

Training Centre in Communication

(Through the School of Biological Sciences Linkage)

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Tanzania’s National Open Science Dialogue: Exploring Challenges and Opportunities towards an Open Science Ecosystem

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