PROGRAMME
6th AfLIA CONFERENCE & 8th AFRICAN LIBRARY SUMMIT
MONDAY 19TH – THURSDAY 22ND MAY 2025, MERCURE HOTEL, WINDHOEK, NAMIBIA
THEME – OPEN KNOWLEDGE: PRESENT, FUTURE, AND AFRICAN REALITIES
| Time for conference activities is captured in [GMT+2] – Namibia time |
Monday, 19th May 2025
| Pre-Conference Workshops: 10.00 – 17.00 |
| 10:00 – 12:30 | Figshare/AfLIA /Africa PID Alliance Research Data Management for African Librarians Workshop – [CLICK TO REGISTER] Venue: Virtual/Zoom |
| 10:00 – 12:00 | IFLA-SSA Pre-Conference – Advocacy & Networking for a Sustainable LIS Profession Venue: University of Namibia (UNAM) Video Conference Room |
| 17:00 – 19:00 | AfLIA Council Meeting I |
Day One – Tuesday, 20th May, 2023
| OPENING OF CONFERENCE Chairperson: Dr. John Tsebe |
09:00 – 10:30 | Guests and participants seated Introduction of Dignitaries & Chairperson Chairperson’s Opening Remarks Welcome Address Keynote Address – Open Knowledge; Present, Future, and African Realities Opening of Conference by Guest of Honour Vote of Thanks Chairperson’s Closing Remarks Photographs | Dr. John Tsebe Prof. Rosemary Shafack, President of AfLIA Prof. Ellen Ndeshi Namhilla, Pro-Vice Chancellor, Admin. & Finance, University of Namibia. Honourable Dino Ballotti, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Education, Innovation, Youth, Sports, Arts & Culture. |
| 10:30 – 11:15 | Opening of Exhibition / Refreshment |
| Session 1 AFRICAN OPEN ACADEMIC DATA Facilitators: MOHAMAD Mostafa, DataCite | OLATUNBOSUN, Obileye, DataCite | Dr. Nkem Osuigwe, AfLIA |
| 11:15 – 13:00 | Advancing Open Knowledge in Africa through Persistent Identifiers and Open Research Infrastructure DataCite |
| 13:00 – 14:00 | LUNCH |
| Session 2 WHOSE KNOWLEDGE? OPEN PRACTICES, TECHNOLOGY AND AFRICAN SCHOLARSHIP / OPEN RESEARCH INFRASTRUCTURE IN AFRICA / OPEN KNOWLEDGE THROUGH WIKIMEDIA PROJECTS: IMPACT IN AFRICA Facilitator: Dr. Chiku Mchombu |
| 14:00 – 14:15 | ADETORO, Salau Sadiat ; ADEGBILERO-IWALARI, Idowu ;EMEZIE, Amauche Nkeiru Advancing Open Research Adoption in Nigeria: Assessment Reforms and Funders Mandates as catalysts of change |
| 14:15 – 14:30 | NG’ANDWE, Euphrasia; MUTINTA, Nabuyanda; MATUKA, Chipemebele Open Science and Scholarly Writing: Rethinking Traditional Journals – A Scoping Review |
| 14:30 – 14:45 | COBBLAH, Mac-Anthony and TACHIE-DONKOR, Gloria Open Research Ecosystems in African Universities: A Catalyst for Innovation and Development – A Systematic Review (2000–2024) |
| 14.45 – 15:00 | ASHLEIGH, Harris and OBERST, Ursula Linking Multilingual Open Data on African Literature and Culture with Wikidata: Experiences, Challenges, and Vision of the ALMEDA project |
| 15:00 – 15:20 | Discussion on Takeaways from the Session |
| Session 3 UNESCO OER RECOMMENDATION AND AFRICAN EDUCATIONAL SYSTEMS Facilitator: Prof. Rosemary Shafack |
| 15:20 – 15:50 | Dr Mark HAHNEL, Founder of Figshare and VP for Open Research at Digital Science African Open Academic Data and its potential for AI [Online Session] |
| 15:50 – 16:00 | Q & A |
| 16:00 – 16:15 | OKEOMA C. Ezechukwu; OSUCHUKWU, P. Ngozi; USORO, P. Ima-M. Adoption of Open Educational Resources in Nigerian federal universities: a hype, fad or farce? |
| 16:15 – 16:30 | JIBRIL, Lynn and MOMOH, Omeiza Emmanuel Advancing African Educational Systems: Leveraging UNESCO OER Recommendations for Sustainable Knowledge Access |
| 16:30 – 16:45 | Discussion on Takeaways from the Session |
| 16:45 – 16:55 | Time with Information Service Provider – Britannica Education |
| 17:00 – 17:10 | Time with Information Service Provider – Clarivate |
| 17:15 – 17:25 | Time with Publisher – PressReader |
| 17:30 – 17:40 | Time with Publisher – Sabinet |
| 17:45 – 17:55 | Time with Publisher – Pearson |
| 18:00 | CLOSING |
| 18:00 – 19:00 | COCKTAIL RECEPTION |
Day Two – Wednesday, 21st May, 2025
| Session 4 SUSTAINABLE OPEN KNOWLEDGE COMMUNITIES OF PRACTICE (COP) IN AFRICA Facilitator: Dr Helena Asamoah-Hassan |
| 09:00 – 09:15 | LELLIOTT, Tony Towards a Continuous Professional Development (CPD) Framework for Academic Librarians |
| 09:15 – 09:30 | SITWALA, Melba K.; JOHANNES, Fredrika;, NAMPWEYA, Helena N. Strengthening Collaborative Networks using Communities of Practice to enhance Information Professionals Knowledge and Skills. |
| 09:30 – 09:45 | BENSON, Oyemike Victor; AMAECHI, Nkechi M.; UDENSI, Friday Iheke Towards Repositioning of African Libraries for Effective Knowledge Management Practices through Community of Practices: issues, strategies and Challenges |
| 09:45 – 10:00 | Lombe Tembo Empowering Open Knowledge in Africa: ORCID’s Global Participation Program and the Rise of Sustainable Communities of Practice [POSTER] |
| 10:00 – 10:15 | Discussion on Takeaways from the Session |
| 10:15 – 10:25 | Time with Publisher – EBSCO |
| 10:30 – 10:40 | Time with Information Service Provider – CSX Customer Service & Edusol |
| 10:45 – 10:55 | Time with Digitisation Service Provider – FCTEC |
| 11:00 – 11:15 | TEA BREAK / VISIT TO THE EXHIBITION |
| Session 5 OPEN KNOWLEDGE, CITIZENSHIP EDUCATION, DEMOCRACY, GOOD GOVERNANCE/ OPEN KNOWLEDGE AND INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY LEGISLATION IN AFRICA Facilitator: Dr. MacAnthony Cobblah |
| 11:15 – 11:30 | WAGWU, Victor; OKPALA Angela Ebele; OKORO, Caroline A.; BABATOPE, Ihuoma Sandra Open Knowledge, Citizenship Education, Democracy and Good Governance in Rivers State |
| 11:30 – 11:45 | KAPUNDA, Shaun Barlet; TJIMBUNDU, Jobackassa; KAMBAURUMA, Kathrine Enhancing Learners’ Competence through Study Skills Workshops and Effective Use of Reading Periods in Omaheke Region: Challenges and Opportunities |
| 11:45 – 12:00 | BAIDOO, Koteikor Dinah; APOLOT, Barbara; ARTHUR, Beatrice; TAMALE, Drake Open Knowledge and Intellectual Property Legislation in Africa: The Librarians’ Role in Academic Integrity |
| 12:00 – 12:15 | CHISITA, Collence T. Indigenous Data and Knowledge Sovereignty in the Age of Digital Transformation: Navigating the Way Forward |
| 12:15 – 12:30 | Discussion on Takeaways from the Session |
| 12:30 – 12:40 | Time with Publisher – Wolters Kluwer |
| 12:45 – 12:55 | Time with Financial Service Provider – Afreximbank |
| 13:00 – 14:00 | LUNCH / VISIT TO THE EXHIBITION |
| Session 6 LOOKING INTO THE FUTURE: AI, OPEN KNOWLEDGE, TECHNOLOGY AND QUALITY EDUCATION IN AFRICA/ /OPEN KNOWLEDGE AND CLIMATE CHANGE IN AFRICA Facilitator: Dr. Collence Chisita |
| 14:00 – 14:15 | MFENGU, Andiswa Extending Information Literacy for the Realization of Artificial Intelligence Literacy |
| 14:15 – 14:30 | CHIGWADA, Josiline; LEONARD, Anna The role of academic libraries in advancing open science in institutions of higher learning in Africa |
| 14:30 – 14:45 | HIPANGWA, Martin Do librarians need to reinvent the wheel? AI literacy in African context |
| 14:45 – 15:00 | LIATO, Sharon Munshya; MUMBA, Moses Assessing the Knowledge and Utilization of Artificial Intelligence among Students, Lecturers and Librarians in Colleges of Education in Zambia: Implications for the Quality of Education |
| 15:00 – 15:15 | MULEKA, Jakob Assessing the Readiness of Namibian Library Professionals to Promote Open Knowledge Practices on Climate Change: A Case Study of Oshana, Oshikoto, Kavango West, Ohangwena, Kavango East and Zambezi Regions |
| 15:15 – 15:30 | NDINDE, Shadreck Quality control methods in the selection of open-access resources in selected Zimbabwean university libraries |
| 15:30 – 15:45 | Discussion on Takeaways from the Session |
| Session 7 MANAGING PERCEPTIONS ABOUT LIBRARIES FOR STAKEHOLDERS’ ENGAGEMENT SESSION / IFLA SESSION Facilitator: Dr. John Tsebe |
| 15:45 – 16:00 | SHIKUNI, Katrina Building Stronger Community Relations: Stakeholder Engagement at Ohangwena Regional Library |
| 16:00 – 16:30 | IFLA Session |
| 16:30 – 16:45 | Discussion on Takeaways from the Session |
| Session 8 COMMUNITY-LED OPEN PUBLICATION INFRASTRUCTURES FOR MONOGRAPHS Facilitator: Dr Nkem Osuigwe |
| 16:45 – 17:30 | The Open Access Monographs Session |
| 17:30 – 17:45 | Q & A |
| 17:45 | CLOSING |
| 18:30 – 21:00 | CULTURAL EVENING / DINNER |
Day Three – Thursday, 22nd May, 2025
| Session 9 AFLIA SECTION MEETINGS FOR KEY OUTCOMES BASED ON SESSION OUTCOMES / OTHER ISSUES Facilitator: Chairpersons of Sections |
| 09:00 – 10:00 | AfLIA Library – Type Meetings |
| 10:00 – 10:30 | Presentation of Key Outcomes from Library-Type meetings |
| 10:30 – 11:15 | Unconference |
| 11:15 – 11:30 | TEA BREAK / Visit to Exhibitions |
| Session 10 AfLIA GENERAL MEETING / SWEARING IN OF NEW OFFICERS Facilitator: Prof Rosemary Shafack / Sarah Negumbo |
| 11:30 – 12:45 | AfLIA General Meeting |
| 1 2:45- 13:30 | CLOSING OF THE CONFERENCE |
| 13:30 – 14:30 | LUNCH |
| 18:00 – 19:30 | Council Meeting II (Old & New members) |
| DAY 4 / DAY 5 – FRIDAY / SATURDAY – 23RD / 24TH MAY 2025 DEPARTURE OF ALL PARTICIPANTS |