African ideas are not yet mainstream even on the continent, and we’re on a mission to change this by developing an Open Access Network of universities across West Africa. As of September 2024, we have received $200,000 from OSF to support this development alongside other Republic initiatives. 

Across Africa, universities were once the centres of leading thought. In recent years, however, universities have suffered numerous setbacks (such as constrained funding, mismanagement, brain drains, and repression from military dictatorships) causing them to take a backseat in the arena of public discourse.  

According to The Republic’s founder, Wale Lawal, ‘Taking Nigeria as an example, the sentiment nowadays seems to be that the kind of ambitious thinking we need is increasingly happening outside the university: in other (often Western) countries, in non-academic institutions, on the streets even, elsewhere. And where such thinking happens locally, financial sustainability and harsh economic conditions demand that it be locked behind a paywall.’ 

We would know: since 2018, The Republic has platformed some of the most ambitious thinking and storytelling from Africa. Due to our beginnings as a student journal, Lawal adds, ‘African and Africanist students and educators have always been among our core audience. A persistent challenge in engaging our academic audience, however, has been affordability and access to our content.’ This is where OSF has come in. 

OSF champions the search for bold, democratic solutions to urgent, common challenges that advance justice, equity, and human dignity. According to OSF, they do this by ‘supporting a wide array of independent voices and organizations around the world that provide a creative and dynamic link between the governing and the governed.’ 

Funding from OSF has allowed us to embark on a journey to provide free digital and print access to The Republic for 10 Nigerian universities and 5 more in West Africa! This will involve setting up satellite Republic chapters across these universities and making use of already existing networks. Our chapters will operate as voluntary university clubs—rather than set up new clubs, we will partner with already existing aligned academic communities such as Nigeria’s Union of Campus Journalists and press clubs in other countries. Through these communities, members will have the opportunity to enrich ongoing teaching, debate Republic essays and contribute essays to The Republic, thereby actively shaping and reshaping the public sphere. 

If you would like your university to be considered for this programme, fill the form below, letting us know how your school would benefit from having this partnership with The Republic. 

A special thanks to OSF for funding this project⎈