Technology-Enabled Research and Scholarly Communication in African Universities
Abstract
This narrative review examines the role of technology in research and scholarly communication in African universities. It considers how digital repositories, online journals, research information systems, collaborative platforms, research data services, persistent identifiers and open-access infrastructures can improve the visibility, accessibility and reuse of research outputs. The review also considers institutional challenges including unreliable connectivity, infrastructure constraints, limited digital skills, fragmented systems, funding limitations, research governance and unequal access to scholarly resources. The analysis shows that technology-enabled research should be approached as an institutional ecosystem rather than as a collection of isolated digital tools. Sustainable progress requires reliable infrastructure, researcher capacity development, responsible research data practices, interoperable systems, clear institutional policies and regional collaboration. The review concludes that African universities can strengthen research productivity and scholarly communication by combining digital infrastructure with human capacity, governance and open science practices.
Keywords
This article examines how digital technology can support research and scholarly communication in African universities. It looks at digital repositories, online publishing, research data systems, collaboration tools and open science infrastructure. It also considers challenges such as connectivity, funding, digital skills and fragmented systems. The article argues that universities need to combine technology with training, good governance and sustainable investment to strengthen the visibility and accessibility of African research.