Lamis Yahia Mohamed Elkheir and Emmanuel Boakye, two passionate advocates for Open Science, share their inspiring journeys and the impactful work they are doing with the African Reproducibility Network (AREN), an initiative dedicated to advancing Open Science across Africa.
AREN’s Journey Towards Open Science
Lamis’s involvement in Open Science began with the eLife Community Ambassadors programme. Reflecting on her journey, she noted, “When I joined eLife as a community ambassador, I didn’t really know much about Open Science. So I would say the ambassador’s programme had the main influence in me getting to know Open Science. And then I sort of realised that it’s something I’ve been advocating for my whole life without knowing that it’s called Open Science.”
Since then, Lamis has continued to deepen her commitment to the field by joining platforms like ASAPbio and Peer Review. Her most cherished accomplishment, however, is her work with AREN, which she describes as “my second child,” highlighting the profound connection she feels with the initiative.
Emmanuel’s journey began during the COVID-19 pandemic when he took an online research writing course. This course briefly touched on Open Science, sparking his curiosity. “I started exploring and came across the Centre for Open Science Ambassador programme. I even reached out to the ambassador in Ghana at the time,” he recounted. His subsequent involvement in projects like the Swahili translation initiative for the Open Science Framework marked significant milestones. Emmanuel’s work with AREN, alongside Lamis, has been particularly fulfilling. “Working on AREN has been so rewarding. When we get wonderful feedback from the trainees, we just feel so excited and fulfilled,” he shared.
AREN’S Mission: Raising Awareness Around Openness in Africa
AREN’s mission is to address gaps in Open Science advocacy within the African research ecosystem by focusing on grassroots efforts. The initiative aims to train researchers on the ground, equipping them to advocate for Open Science within their institutions and communities. “We focus on the researchers on the ground and help them to become not just people that know and understand Open Science, but people that can also advocate for Open Science within their communities and institutions,” Emmanuel explained.
Despite the progress, challenges remain. Both Lamis and Emmanuel highlight the lack of awareness and cultural resistance as significant obstacles. “From our training programmes, it looks like a lot of researchers are not really aware of all these things that are going on and the benefits that they can get from them,” Emmanuel noted. Lamis added, “We did a pre-training survey and found that the top challenge was knowledge and awareness, followed by institutional and cultural resistance. In Africa, there is a tendency to keep things to oneself, which can hinder Open Science adoption.”
Why Did AREN Become a Member of FORM?
The partnership with forums like FORM is seen as crucial for AREN’s success. Lamis and Emmanuel emphasise the importance of collaboration to avoid reinventing the wheel and to build a broader, more inclusive network that spans across the continent. “We thought that working with FORM would be very strategic for us to reach out to these communities,” Lamis said. She elaborated, “We need to work together to make a greater impact. This is why we decided to connect with these communities instead of reinventing the wheel.”
Lamis and Emmanuel’s dedication to Open Science and their work with AREN exemplify the passion and commitment needed to drive meaningful change in the research landscape. Their efforts reflect a deep-seated belief in the power of collaboration and the importance of contextualising solutions to meet the unique needs of the African research community. As Emmanuel put it, “Our goal is to integrate various perspectives and experiences to enhance the effectiveness of our initiatives across the continent.”
We are honoured to have AREN on board as a member of FORM and look forward to Lamis’s contributions to the 3rd Annual Forum 2024, where she will be presenting a paper on “Harnessing Open Science for Transformative Impact: AREN’s Multifaceted Approach to Advancing Research Across Africa.”
Interested in becoming a member? Get in touch via contact@forumforopen.org
