Mekelle University (MU) Hosted Hybrid Event on Open Science in Ethiopia
April 2, 2025 - The University proudly hosted a significant hybrid event titled “DataCite in Ethiopia: Building a Community of Practice among Academic and Research Institutions.” Held at the Management Hall of the University and streamed online simultaneously. The event brought together key stakeholders dedicated to advancing the national open science agenda.
Participants included the Editor-in-Chief of the University journals, college deans, heads of college research and community engagement, as well as global partners from DataCite. Together, they engaged in meaningful discussions about the future of open science in Ethiopia.
With active participation from the University Journal management bodies, college research and community engagement heads, research institutions, and our global partner DataCite. The session emphasized the importance of leveraging Persistent Identifiers (PIDDOIs) to strengthen Open Access infrastructure across the nation. Key topics discussed included current state of MU journals and what it should be, Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs), best practices for the Open Journal System (OJS), and collaborative strategies aimed at enhancing research visibility and integrity.

This event marks a pivotal step towards fostering collaboration and innovation among academic and research institutions in Ethiopia, supporting the growth of a robust open science community.
Final Call to Action: To all Ethiopian academic and research institutions:
-Join the movement to transform Ethiopia’s research ecosystem;
-Mandate DOIs for repositories and journals;
-Engage in open science events and share peer experiences;
-Join the Ethiopian DOI Consortium—collaborate for sustainable impact; and
-Adopt "Visible or Vanish"
- Prioritize research visibility strategies.
Special thanks
To Dr. Eyasu Yazew Hagos, Vice President for Research and Community Engagement at Mekelle University, all stakeholders, and Mohamad Mostafa from DataCite, for their invaluable contributions.
More info:
-MU Research News
-Ethiopian DOI Consortium
-Event Updates on Volunteer DataCite Ambassador Website
Let’s build a culture of visible, trusted, and impactful research across the country.