Key stakeholders in the open science ecosystem in Ghana gathered to deliberate on an inclusive, participatory and holistic approach towards the development of a national open science policy and action plan for the country.

LIBSENSE, a special Research and Education Network-Libraries initiative, led by the West and Central African Research and Education Network (WACREN), provided the platform to the stakeholders through its Accra iteration of the LIBSENSE National Open Science Roapmaps.

Similar events have been held in Nigeria and Cote d’Ivoire.  At the Accra event, there was a consensus call on the government of Ghana to be very open and embracing of the perspectives and interests of all stakeholders as the former develops a national open science policy that will give direction to the various open science programmes, projects and activities.

Several stakeholders in the open science space including social innovators, tech hubs, youth groups and early career researchers within the Ghanaian urged the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI) and other relevant government agencies to expand its stakeholder engagement to capture the thoughts and aspirations of the wider stakeholder community.

Delivering the keynote address at the Symposium, the Deputy High Commissioner of the UK to Ghana, Keith McMahon, said, “Open science is a common priority of our countries. It should be a priority of every country.  Global, irrevocable and free access to quality research and data enables more discoveries to be made and increases the scale and speed of the impact of science.

He opined that open science must be adopted in a way to ensure there are real and substantial benefits for development. “The challenge is understanding the local landscape to identify the best opportunities for intervention where tailored solutions can work,” Mr. McMahon

Speaking on behalf of the sector minister, the Special Advisor for the MESTI, Oliver Boachie, said at the time when Ghana has decided to place Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) at the centre of the national development agenda, MESTI is examining ways to strengthen the research and innovation ecosystem, and to provide the essential support programs that unleash the creativity of Ghana’s researchers and innovators.

He said, “that is why MESTI is recommending the adoption of the Open Science approach to scientific research and knowledge dissemination for actors within our research and innovation ecosystem and their partners abroad”.

Key stakeholders that participated in the LIBSENSE Symposium included the Ghanaian Academic and Research Network (GARNET), the Consortium of Academic and Research Libraries in Ghana (CARLIGH), the Ghana Academy of Arts and Science (GAAS), tech hubs, STEM youth groups, early career researchers, and librarians  from various public and private universities.