Right to Research : Copyright and Access to Knowledge 2023

From January 23 to January 27, 2023, Wikimedia ZA representatives attended a Week of Debates on Copyright and Access to Knowledge in Pretoria and Cape Town, South Africa. WMZA was an organizing partner in this event. The goal of these discussions was to advocate for openness in research through advocacy and education. To advance Open Access, Open Education, and Open Data in Africa.

Policymakers, academics, and activists from across the African continent, as well as African researchers, legal experts, and intergovernmental organisations, gathered to network, share ideas, thoughts, and suggestions, and ask questions. One of the key questions asked include “Do African researchers have access to the data they need?” and “ Does copyright law help or hinder the Right to Research?”.

This concluded by acknowledging the fact that answering these questions requires the very latest computational research methods. We need to mine information from research sources and databases all over the world. The Right to Research Coalition and its members work to educate the next generation of researchers, administrators, and policymakers about the benefits of open research while also advocating for progressive policies at the local, national, and international levels.