Open Science and Reproducibility: Strengthening Research Practices in Africa by Precious Onyewuchi, for RSAfrica26

Reproducibility is an important aspect of research, especially within continents like Africa, which include a large number of low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

Practicing reproducible research enables researchers to save costs, time, and avoid duplication of effort, allowing resources to be used more efficiently and judiciously.

While the Global North has been able to innovate and scale research more rapidly, in the Global South there is a growing shift from being primarily consumers of research to becoming creators. However, this transition is still gradual. One way to accelerate it is by adopting open research practices—“as open as possible, as closed as necessary”—to improve transparency, collaboration, and the speed of innovation.

My talk will highlight what reproducibility is, its benefits, and how researchers can implement reproducible practices in their work. It will also include practical resources and case studies to help illustrate these concepts.

In addition, I will emphasize that the lack of reproducibility is a global research challenge, not an African-specific problem. This framing is important to avoid localizing the issue, while still highlighting how reproducible practices can significantly benefit African research contexts if implemented effectively. Comparisons will also be drawn with progress made in other regions and continents.

The talk references materials from The Turing Way (https://book.the-turing-way.org/) and insights from Dr. Reina Camacho Toro’s work/talk on open science diplomacy in the LATAM context at the DSWB May External Webinar (https://zenodo.org/records/20376717).

It was presented at the Research Software Africa Conference, 2026.