African research is dynamic, diverse, and growing, yet it remains underrepresented in global scholarly databases. To explore how persistent identifiers can elevate African research internationally, we recently hosted the first session of our new series, ORCID in Action: Understanding ORCID in Africa.
The webinar brought together regional pioneers Amy Pascalia Abra Asimah, University Librarian at Regional Maritime University (https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2649-0410); Mercury Shitindo, Founder & Executive Director of Africa Bioethics Network (https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3814-8786); and Owen Iyoha, CEO of Eko-Konnect (https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0978-2358) to discuss the unique challenges and opportunities for ORCID adoption across the continent.
Resources for African Institutions
- Global Participation Fund (GPF): Learn about grants available to support ORCID adoption in the Global South.
- Join a Consortium: Find out if there is a national consortium in your country to help you get started.
- Explore ORCID 2030: Advancing the Future of Research: This plan introduces five distinct but interconnected Strategic Themes that will guide our work over the next four years.
ORCID is a vital tool for research sovereignty in Africa
The session opened by reframing what ORCID means for the African context. It isn’t just a 16-digit number; it is a vital tool for research sovereignty and visibility. By using ORCID, African researchers ensure their work is correctly attributed and discoverable, regardless of name variations or institutional changes.
Demystifying ORCID (ORCID 101)
Our speakers addressed common myths about ORCID, including clarifying that we are a nonprofit hosting a community-led open source Registry designed for long-term sustainability. They emphasized that a populated ORCID record can serve as a researcher’s digital curriculum vitae that stays with them throughout their career. Another core message was that researchers always retain full control over their records and how their data is accessed and shared within the Registry.
The power of consortia to reduce barriers to entry
A major highlight of the discussion was the role of national consortia. In regions where individual institutional budgets may be limited, pooling resources into a consortia provides an affordable way for research organizations to scale an ORCID Community of Practice.
Owen Iyoha shared the progress in Nigeria and how the consortia model helps reduce barriers to entry for institutions. Other panelists shared how belonging to a consortia can provide the technical support a community of practice needs to integrate ORCID into local repository systems.
ORCID iDs connect African research to the global ecosystem and streamline publishing
Panelists also explored how ORCID interacts with the broader research ecosystem, including national repositories and publishers and funders.
The role of national repositories is like a digital bridge that links local research outputs to global research infrastructure by taking research produced within a specific country’s borders and broadcasting it to the rest of the world. Without this connection, local scholarship might remain trapped in silos, invisible to global search engines and citation indexes.
Additionally, African journals and funding bodies are beginning to require ORCID iDs to streamline the application and peer-review processes. For example, African journals—many of which use the Open Journal Systems (OJS) platform—are increasingly making ORCID a prerequisite for submission and peer review. The move to require rather than suggest ORCID iDs boosts African scholars with regard to name disambiguation, more potential for discovery of their research, and an easy way for them to bring their entire validated record with them whenever they get scholarship appointments.
Community engagement is critical for adoption
Finally, we heard from two leaders who are fostering ORCID communities of practice on the ground.
Dr. Amy Pascalia Abra Asimah and Mercury Shitindo both highlighted that while technical integration is important, much of the work lies in community engagement. This entails training researchers to see the value of maintaining their records and ensuring that African institutions have a place at the table in global research infrastructure governance.
Stay tuned as we spotlight regional ORCID achievements
The “ORCID in Action” series will continue to spotlight regional achievements and local leadership around the world, proving that while our Registry is global, its impact is most felt when it is adapted to meet local needs.
If you missed the live discussion of this important first session about understanding ORCID in Africa, you can watch the full recording here.
