Emmanuel Daudu-Abuja
The West and Central African Research and Education Network (WACREN) has concluded a leadership workshop for LIBSENSE Open Science Early Career Researchers (ECR) aimed at advancing open science practices within the region.
The two-day pilot workshop hosted by the Nigeria Research and Education Network (NgREN) at the National Universities Commission (NUC) in Abuja, held from April 28 to 29, 2026. Bringing together about 30 ECR leads from educational institutions across the country, the workshop was designed as an intensive co-creation programme to develop a network and equip participants with the skills to drive institutional change and promote open science principles.
Addressing participants on the second day of the workshop, the Director of Special Projects at the NUC, and Programme Manager of NgREN, Dr Joshua Atah, urged the ECR Leads to actively promote open science within their academic communities. He emphasised the importance of engagement and collaboration in strengthening research systems nationwide.
According to Atah, researchers must take responsibility for educating their peers and encouraging participation in open science initiatives, noting that sustained efforts at the institutional level are critical to building a robust and transparent research ecosystem.
He also reaffirmed the NUC’s commitment in line with the directive of the Honourable Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, to support universities with the necessary digital infrastructure, stressing that the commission remains focused on delivering on its mandate to enhance research and innovation across the country.
Declaring the workshop open on April 28, the Chief Strategy Officer of WACREN, Dr Omo Oaiya, said the initiative seeks to foster collaboration and strengthen leadership capacity among early-career researchers.
He explained that participants would engage in practical sessions focused on promoting open science and co-developing tools to support ECR-led communities within their institutions.
“Together, we aim to build your capacity for advocacy and leadership in open science, equipping you with the skills needed to engage institutional leadership and establish sustainable research communities on campus,” he said.
Oaiya added that a key outcome of the workshop would be the development of an open-access, shareable toolkit to support network-building among early-career researchers across the region.
Also speaking, Professor Pamela Abbott encouraged participants to take an active role in shaping the LIBSENSE ECR framework ahead of its broader rollout across Africa. She urged them to leverage the opportunity to connect with like-minded researchers and champion reforms in research culture.
“This is more than a training programme; it is an opportunity to become catalysts for open science in Nigeria and to help establish a model for the wider African research community,” she said.
