SN 2 EP 12: Unlocking Research Visibility in the Global South with ORCID’S Lombe Tembo

SUMMARY KEYWORDS

Research, Africa, ORCID, scholarly communication, researchers, higher education, underrepresented, development, sustainable development goals, visibility.

EPISODE SUMMARY:

In this captivating finale of Season 2, the Mazungumzo podcast welcomes Lombe Tembo, Grant Program Officer and Engagement Lead at ORCID. This episode delves into the critical intersection of scholarly communication, economic development, and research visibility in Africa. Lombe shares her journey from economics to championing equitable participation in academia, offering unique insights into the challenges and opportunities facing African researchers. As we explore ORCID’s role in enhancing research visibility and fostering global collaborations, this episode provides a fitting conclusion to our season, highlighting the evolving landscape of scholarly communication in Africa and its potential to drive sustainable development.

HERE ARE THE KEY THINGS TO LOOK OUT FOR:

The Power of Visibility in Research: Lombe Tembo’s personal journey highlights the critical importance of visibility in research. Her experiences, from speaking at the UN General Assembly to working with the Queen’s Young Leaders Program, underscore how increased visibility can amplify the impact of research and drive positive change. This narrative sets the stage for understanding ORCID’s mission in the broader context of global research visibility.

ORCID’s Role in Empowering African Researchers: The discussion reveals how ORCID is working to boost equitable participation in academia, particularly for researchers in underrepresented areas. The conversation highlights the work still needed and ORCID’s strategies to enhance researcher engagement and benefit.

The Nexus of Economic Development and Scholarly Communication: Lombe provides a unique perspective on the relationship between economic development and scholarly communication in Africa. Her analogy of nurturing a forest of opportunities illustrates how shared research insights can contribute to policy-making, innovation, and sustainable development initiatives, aligning with Africa’s Agenda 2063 and the global Sustainable Development Goals.

Challenges and Opportunities in African Scholarly Communication: The episode concludes with a frank discussion of the pressing challenges facing scholarly communication in Africa and exciting opportunities arising from technological advancements, increased collaborations, and a growing focus on open science.

EPISODE TRANSCRIPT

Welcome to Mazungumzo – African Scholarly Conversations, where we are joined by an expansive list of African policymakers, science communication specialists, innovators, and tertiary institution leaders who contribute to this realm of science communication.

I’m your host Joy Owango, the Executive Director of Training Centre in Communication (TCC Africa), a capacity-building trust based at the University of Nairobi, Chiromo Campus in Nairobi, Kenya.

In today’s episode we’re delighted to have a remarkable guest with us, Ms. Lombe Tembo. She is the Grant Program Officer and Engagement lead at ORCID, and an economist with a BA in Economics from the University of Zambia and an MA in Development Studies from the University of Lusaka. At ORCID, her task is to promote equal participation of underrepresented areas particularly in the Global South. Ms. Lombe is an Atlas Corps Virtual Leadership Institute Scholar and has over 7 years experience in international development.

A warm welcome to the programme Ms. Lombe!

Lombe Tembo:

Thank you so much for having me. I’m really excited it’s such a pleasure to be here and to be interacting outside of a conference for once.

Joy Owango:

Oh yes, oh yes. This is a bit relaxing.

Lombe Tembo:

Absolutely.

Joy Owango:

So now, could you give us a history of who you are and highlight to us your experience into becoming the person you are today to the point that you are representing the continent as a funder; supporting the higher education sector.

Lombe Tembo:

Thank you, Joy. My journey started with a very strong passion for economics and also for International Development. And I mean, this started from the time I was much younger, and from back then, as a young girl, I envisioned myself making a very positive impact on the world, and I was always very interested in research and engagement. So, advocacy always intrigued me. And even though I struggled to articulate it clearly when I was younger, I dreamed of bridging that gap between knowledge and action and also, particularly in the field of international development. So, I’ll tell you a bit of a… I’ll tell you a little story about my background. Seven years ago, now I had the incredible opportunity to speak at the United Nations General Assembly, and one of the things that I talked about was the significance of the data revolution and the need for qualitative and accessible, disaggregated data. And even back then, I firmly believed that this was fundamental to all aspects of development. In addition to that, being a member of the advisory panel for the Queen’s Young Leaders Program was a very big turning point in my understanding of the significance of visibility, in showcasing people’s work. Through my involvement with the Queen’s Young leaders, I witnessed firsthand that incredible impact that young leaders were making in their communities. And so specifically for this program, there were young people coming from different parts of the Commonwealth, and this was eye opening for me, and their stories were really inspiring, but the challenge still lay in ensuring that their work was receiving that recognition that it truly deserved. This experience, for me, highlighted the vital role that platforms play in ensuring that contributions are visible, that they’re acknowledged and valued on a global scale. It became clear to me that enhancing visibility not only empowers individuals but it also amplifies their influence, and this helps to foster a sense of community, and it also drives positive change. So, if you think about it, this, this for me directly relates to visibility for researchers in general, and also when I think about my career over the years, my roles in different organizations have brought me to where I am today because they played a pivotal role in shaping my path. So, for instance, I worked for an organization called Circus Zambia, and there I managed their program implementation, and this honed my skills in grant management and community engagement. I also worked for Restless development, and there my focus shifted to empowering young people and also establishing connections between young people and their decision makers. So, you know, these experiences enabled me to contribute significantly to different youth development programs here in Zambia, but also in Africa as a whole, and also help to build valuable partnerships, which I think is a very important aspect, which I’ll speak about a bit later. Moreover, I worked for the World Bank for a few years, and this provided me with a very comprehensive understanding of community building and also project management. All these experiences highlighted the challenges that are faced by scholars, by young people, and particularly for those who are based in underrepresented areas. It really reinforced the determination that I have to advocate for equitable opportunities. So, this is a very personal thing for me. So, to answer the second part of your question, I often wondered how research could be accurately attributed to specific individuals, especially with a common name like mine in Zambia. So out of curiosity, I explored this topic online, and I discovered the fascinating world of persistent identifiers. The more I read, I found ORCID which is a persistent identifier for people.

Joy Owango:

So, you literally went down that rabbit hole of persistent identifiers?

Lombe Tembo:

Yeah, I went down that rabbit hole, and I was instantly inspired. And, you know, learning about ORCID commitment to supporting scholars, especially those in underrepresented areas, it deeply resonated with me. It felt like I had found the community that shared my vision for providing equitable opportunities in academia and also research, and that’s how I learned about ORCID. So that’s been my journey to where I am today.

Joy Owango:

ORCID has been quite a game changer in the higher education sector particularly in Africa, because now we are seeing more contributions of African researchers. You can actually monitor the performance of African researchers. Most importantly, you’re seeing ORCID being used as part of the ecosystem within an institution whereby the institution is proposing that they use it as an identifier for ease of access to their output. And these are situations that you don’t have seen even five or 10 years ago, and it’s becoming the norm. And because of that, we are seeing an exponential, I’m not going to say growth, but exponential visibility of our output and an awareness and understanding why we need to have an identifier to attribute it to our research, especially if you have common names or if you’re working in groups, so that everybody can see their equal contribution to research and ORCID has been instrumental in solving that particular issue. Now that you are the Engagement Lead and also Grant Program Officer of ORCID, as you undertake this role, does it align with your goal to improve equitable participation of underrepresented areas in the field of academia and research? And if so, take us through how you feel ORCID is able to achieve this.

Lombe Tembo :

That’s a really interesting question. To start with, I’ll talk about ORCID’s vision and talk about how it aligns to my goal. So, ORCIDs envision a world where all who participate in research, scholarship and innovation are uniquely identified and connected to their contributions and affiliations. This goes across time, across disciplines and borders. So, in my role at ORCID, I’m on a mission that perfectly aligns with my passion for boosting equitable participation in both academia and research, particularly in underrepresented areas. And I think what excites me the most is that direct impact that I get to make by managing this specific brand program and collaborating with organizations in this space, not only in Africa, but in in underrepresented regions from other parts of the world. And it’s all about ensuring that every single person regardless of their background, gets a fair chance in the academic world. ORCID’s mission resonates deeply with me, and I feel privileged to be part of a team that shares this vision. So, for me, it’s more than just a job. it’s a very real opportunity to create a meaningful impact and to make a real difference in the world of academia. And you know, speaking of numbers, actually, there are currently almost 400,000 researchers with an ORCID in Africa but out of those only about 229,000 have active records. If you look at these numbers, they clearly indicate that there’s still a lot of work ahead of us, you know, because even if the ORCID is there, but you’re not using it’s not going to be of benefit to you. ORCID is committed to enhancing the benefits that researchers derive from ORCID, and one key way we do this is by adding validated, trusted data into the researcher profiles. This one is an exclusive member benefit. This approach not only ensures the reliability of the data across the research ecosystem, but it also reduces that burden on researchers, editors, reviewers, and also on grant application processes.  By becoming part of this trusted network, institutions end up contributing to a community trust model, and this brings volumes about commitment to research integrity and also to elevating the visibility of their research outputs, which is really important, and this is to what you said earlier about the visibility of research in Africa. It’s also about creating a seamless, trustworthy environment where the focus remains on impactful research, and also on fostering a collaborative spirit among researchers and institutions. Basically, for me it aligns so perfectly.

Joy Owango:

ORCID has been rolling out the Global Access fund program.

Lombe Tembo:

The Global Participation Fund.

Joy Owango:

Yes, the Global Participation Fund, oh goodness. It has been rolling out the Global Participation Fund Program. So ideally, what is happening right now is that you’re not only an infrastructural program, but now you are, to a certain degree, a funder and as a funder based in Africa, what do you think should be the attitudes and perception of funders who intend to work in the continent, especially when it comes to supporting higher education and higher education ecosystems?

Lombe Tembo:

That is a very loaded question, Joy!

Joy Owango:

I know. Answer carefully.

Lombe Tembo:

We’ve had a conversation about this before, about how there’s a narrative about Africa being poor, and that is not the case.  I think that an important aspect as funders come into Africa is to look at the African organizations and institutions, you know, higher education institutions and research organizations, as partners, as opposed to being beneficiaries. Because, there’s so much that we bring to the table, and some of the time it’s an issue of visibility that stops them from really bringing that to scale.  I would say that one very important thing is looking at Africa as a partner in development.

Joy Owango:

Yeah, and not just as a recipient of funding, but I like how you say as a partner, so that these activities can be worked on together. Even the perception on the financial support, can be worked on in a manner that comes with a positive outlook of the continent. As you said, we’ve had this conversation a few times. It has always been my concern that you know you’re coming into the continent with the perception that an entire continent is poor without factoring that, yes, there are low-income and middle-income countries. Even amongst those countries, they all have different capacities on how they can support. So yes, I like the way you are saying that partnering with institutions to make better informed decisions as this funding is coming into the continent. The reason why I’m asking this is because you’re an economist whom has worked in international development, so you’ve seen both sides of the coin. You’ve seen it from a macro level when you’re working with the World Bank, and you’ve seen it at national level and sometimes at institutional level. So that’s why I wanted to see what your perception and observations were on that issue. Let me ask this question, so, how do you perceive the relationship between economic development and scholarly communication in the African context. So, in this case, you can share with me your views from a financial sustainability perspective, from a capacity sustainability perspective, and also with some of the trends we’ve also seen globally, where funding, especially in the Global South, has been removed from the Development Ministries, but moved to either the Ministry of trade or the Ministry of Economic Affairs, depending on the country. So just take us through what your views are and how it has affected scholarly communication in Africa.

Lombe Tembo:

Thank you for that. You know, I would like to answer this with a bit of an analogy, it will make sense as we get to the end. In the African context, economic development and scholarly communication are intricately linked. Strengthening scholarly communication channels is very central for knowledge dissemination, which in turn drives economic development. Accessible and widespread dissemination of research findings directly contributes to evidence-based policy making, which contributes to innovation, and sustainable development initiatives in different sectors. So, you know how in Africa, sharing knowledge is not just planting seeds for growth. It’s like nurturing a forest of opportunities, especially when it comes to economic development. Think of researchers and economists as the eco-conscious caretakers who are cultivating ideas that can not only address our unique challenges but also align with Africa’s bigger vision of Agenda 2063, and also with the sustainable development goals. You know, with these brilliant minds freely sharing their ideas, it’s like planting very diverse trees in our economic landscape, and every single year, like a different tree species. You know, we have mokwa, and I don’t know the tree species you have in Kenya, but you know, we have all those different tree species. And you know, these contribute very uniquely to the progress. These shared insights, become the foundation for crafting policy and align with Africa’s Agenda 2063, which is a vision for an integrated, prosperous and peaceful continent, and it’s also with the Sustainable Development Goals, which are universal in action for a better, more sustainable world. Now, if you bring it back to basic scientific research, which is the root system of all of this knowledge, it plays a very pivotal role in shaping our sustainable future. There’s a paper by the IMF in which the recent findings echo the sentiment. It emphasizes the importance of basic scientific research for economic progress. So, this research doesn’t only fuel innovation, but it also acts as a catalyst for green initiatives which are very crucial for meeting our sustainable development goals, and like I said about diverse flora before. If you look at diverse flora in a thriving forest, basic research directly contributes to the different sectors of the economy and it drives progress in things like agriculture, in healthcare, clean energy and other different sectors. This isn’t just limited by borders, but instead it spreads, and this enriches neighbouring territories and also fosters collaboration, which I think is important for Africa. This also echoes the spirit of global partnerships, as outlined in the sustainable development goals and must I add the spirit of Ubuntu as well.

Bringing it back a bit more to the context of scholarly communication in Africa.

This perspective underscores that vital role of investing in basic scientific research.  So just like you know, if you nurture a forest of knowledge where every single tree represents an innovative idea. Investing in research and innovation is not just an economic strategy, you know, but it’s also a fundamental part of Africa’s sustainable development agenda. By fostering this ecosystem of ideas through scholarly communication, Africa can then progress towards its Agenda 2063, goals, and also create a more sustainable and prosperous future. So just imagine that impact on academia and research and that legacy that it could leave behind. So, I would definitely say that this approach aligns seamlessly with the goal of improving equitable participation in scholarly activities across Africa, but especially in underrepresented areas. So, I think that signifies several things, and this is empowering marginalized communities, unlocking Potential, and also establishing a legacy of inclusivity and excellence in the landscape.

Joy Owango:

From a microeconomic perspective, when you’re seeing the national changes in some of the countries in the Global North, where funding in higher education moved from the development sector to the Ministry of Economic Affairs or Ministry of Trade. What does that tell you in its relation to scholarly communication and higher education? This is my view to begin with, when you see funding moving from development to economics and trade, it means that there’s a strong correlation with looking at higher education as a contributor to the knowledge economy, right? And depending on the parts of the world where that money is going to go to. It’s also acknowledging that higher education is also a revenue generator within those respective countries. Is that also some of the sections that you’re seeing in terms of the microeconomic developments, where funding is moving from the development sector but more in some countries, Ministry of Trade or Ministry or Economic Affairs.

Lombe Tembo:

This is another very loaded one for me, because, as you might have noticed, I’m an economist, but I’m also a development worker. I’m quite torn when I think about that funding being moved from development to, you know, to trade and economy. But, I mean, I’m still inclined to agree with what you said in terms of how it becomes a contributor to revenue generation. But I then come in with my, my development practitioner hat, and I think about, social good. When that revenue is generated, does it get utilized for social good or public good depending on countries? It depends on all those different aspects. So, I think I’m quite torn on this question, to be honest. So, I still stand on the fence. It still depends on where it ends up, I’ll give a very random example of a toll gate that is built on a road. And, you know its public funding goes into building that toll gate, right? But at the end of the day the say, the revenue generated from the toll should go into fixing the roads. But does it actually happen? It goes into this huge pot. But what does that money get used for? Is it still public? Is it for the public? You know, where does that go? Does it actually support the residents in that area? Or is its like a catch 22 situation?

Joy Owango:

It’s becoming a bit murky, to be honest, because there’s a demand for higher education to be much more accessible. There’s a demand for higher education to start contributing actively to the knowledge economy through the production of innovation. And if there’s innovation, there’s commercialization, so, revenue generation, and, the glue that holds this whole process is scholarly communication. Because we need to see your research, you need to make it accessible. So, with all that that is happening, I think there’s a bit of a delicate balance for funders right now and those who intend to start funding higher education, because gone are the days when it was pretty straightforward. When you say, yeah, high education is for social good. There’s a revenue generation and a knowledge economic contribution, which has to be clearly spelt out. I get when you say that you’re bit on the fence, because, you’re literally sitting on both sides as an economist so you need to make economic sense, but then as a development worker there’s a need for the conversation on the social good aspect of it. That leads to my final question, what are the pressing challenges and exciting opportunities for the future of scholarly communication in Africa? How can organizations like ORCID continue to play a pivotal role in this evolving landscape? As we’ve just agreed, it is now moving from social good to the competitive nature of higher education.

Lombe Tembo:

We’ve spoken on this a bit, on the score and also in other conversations, but you know how African scholarly communication faces so many challenges like access to resources is limited, there are infrastructure issues and also funding disparities, which make things even tougher, plus in many African countries basic communication infrastructure is lacking and this adds to the problem. One big issue is that many people aren’t really aware of how important persistent identifier infrastructure is in scholarly communication. It’s like having the right tools for a job, but not everyone realizes their true value, and this makes it even harder to tackle the challenges. So obviously, recognizing these problems is that very first step towards finding solutions. But you know, there’s good news, there’s some really exciting opportunities on the horizon. Technological advancements, increase in collaborations, and also a growing focus on open science, there’s hope for positive change. That’s where organizations like ORCID come in. We can help in fostering that collaboration, to offer resources   and   also to advocate for FAIR research practices. What’s interesting to note is that ORCID’s Global Participation program is specifically designed to tackle those challenges that are faced by  researchers in Africa, in this scholarly world. It’s essential to understand that places like Africa produce incredible research, and this research is just waiting to be acknowledged globally. By listening to the community, ORCID identified persistent confusion causing obstacles for organizations. To address this, we’ve developed messages to explain that value, not only of having an ORCID record, but also actively using it in various aspects of their careers, missions and grant applications. Being an ORCID member means more than getting data from researcher’s ORCID records. You know, there’s so much value in integrating an organization system with ORCID records. When an organization signs up as an ORCID member, It’s not just signing up for a product or just for the ability to get data from researchers. Being an ORCID member allows that organization to add the organization’s validated data to the researchers records and those can then be re-used. We spoke earlier about reusing, the records can be reused by a variety of other systems. At the moment we have over 5000 integrated systems so ORCID members who have an intergration are in fact, part of a global network of community data providers, and when you actively add this trusted data to your researchers’ records, you’re working together to strengthen research integrity. Adding that trusted data to researchers’ records is an exclusive member benefit for ORCID members. ORCID’s efforts are crucial in recognizing that wealth of research, which is coming from regions like Africa, and making sure that it gets that global recognition that it deserves. it’s an ongoing conversation, and it definitely requires partnerships, just like I mentioned.

Joy Owango:

You cannot do this whole process on your own. It’s it definitely requires partnership

Lombe Tembo:

Absolutely.

Joy Owango:

This has been amazing Lombe, I’ve really enjoyed this conversation. It’s nice to see you again, and I’m super excited with the advancements ORCID has made in Africa, especially in contributing to the visibility of the output coming out of the continent and, of course, the awareness that you’ve been creating, and making us understand about not only ORCID, but also persistent identifiers. I mean, we are in the Open Science age, and there’s still a need for continuous conversation and understanding on the various technologies that can support us. And you know, persistent identifiers and unique identifiers are one of those ecosystems that we need to have a good understanding on if we are to increase the visibility of our output. So, thank you so much Lombe, and thanks for making time to be with us today.

Lombe Tembo:

I really enjoyed this Joy, even those questions that you threw at me, I really enjoyed this.

Joy Owango:

You’re an economist, so I needed to see how this…it’s a delicate balance, don’t get me wrong. It’s an amazing delicate balance and it’s not a challenge that you as Lombe got through but it’s something that an economist who is also a development worker goes through. So, this is quite interesting. Thank you so much for making time.

Lombe Tembo:

Thank you so much for having me, this was amazing.

Outro

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