Academic literature on the topic 'The Post (Zambia)'

This paper addresses the challenges facing researchers seeking to explore the post-colonial history of Zambia, a country whose social infrastructure in general, and academic and research facilities in particular, are in a state of apparently perpetual decline. It describes some of the major archival resources available and their (significant) limitations. It surveys recent and ongoing attempts to document the history of nationalist movements and leaders. Finally, it explores the potential for developing a history of post-colonial Zambia which escapes the assumptions of a still dominant nationalist historiography, and which thereby contributes to a deeper understanding of the lives actually lived by Zambians since Independence.The tendency for colonial and post-colonial governments and their advisors to seek to depoliticize issues of power, inequality and control, by turning them into “technical” or developmental issues, has been noted by historians and anthropologists. The historiography of post-colonial Zambia is a prime example of the conflation of history with development, creating a discourse that assesses historical change by the achievement of supposedly neutral development goals, and conflates the ideologies and policies of nationalist politicians with those of the nation as a whole. The relatively benign judgments passed by prominent historians of the colonial era in their postscript surveys of the government of Kenneth Kaunda's United National Independence Party (UNIP) in Zambia's First Republic (1964-72) have retained an unwarranted influence. This is partly because of the dearth of post-colonial historical studies of equal importance conducted during the last 20 years. UNIP's leading historian, Henry Meebelo, while providing valuable insights into the African perspective on decolonization, played a leading role in establishing nationalism as the unquestioned norm of progressive understanding, axiomatically placing all social forces which came into conflict with it as reactionary and illegitimate.

Building upon debates about the politics of nationalism and sexuality in post-colonial Africa, this article highlights the role of religion in shaping nationalist ideologies that seek to regulate homosexuality. It specifically focuses on Pentecostal Christianity in Zambia, where the constitutional declaration of Zambia as a Christian nation has given rise to a form of ‘Pentecostal nationalism’ in which homosexuality is considered to be a threat to the purity of the nation and is associated with the Devil. The article offers an analysis of recent Zambian public debates about homosexuality, focusing on the ways in which the ‘Christian nation’ argument is deployed, primarily in a discourse of anti-homonationalism, but also by a few recent dissident voices. The latter prevent Zambia, and Christianity, from accruing a monolithic depiction as homophobic. Showing that the Zambian case presents a mobilisation against homosexuality that is profoundly shaped by the local configuration in which Christianity defines national identity – and in which Pentecostal-Christian moral concerns and theo-political imaginations shape public debates and politics – the article nuances arguments that explain African controversies regarding homosexuality in terms of exported American culture wars, proposing an alternative reading of these controversies as emerging from conflicting visions of modernity in Africa.1

Malawian and Zambian governments have made efforts to improve healthcare for rural dwellers but possible differences or similarities in health demographics may inform targeted interventions and volunteers may have a greater role to play in improving health outcomes. Aims and Objectives To compare of basic health and social demographics observed during 4-day medical camps in 2 rural communities in Zambia and Malawi to determine any significant differences or similarities. Method About 12 and 10 local and international volunteers at medical camps (at a temporary rural health post or community hall) in rural Zambia and Malawi respectively treated 488 patients in total, with basic health and social demographic data collected and results analyzed. Results The mean age of patients seen in Malawi and Zambia were 34.5 and 38.9 years respectively, with 39% and 40% of patients in Malawi and Zambia respectively being within the 18 to 44 years age group, and mostly females (59.7% in Malawi and 65.7% in Zambia). Most were non-infectious diseases (97.3% in Zambia, 95% in Malawi), mostly musculoskeletal (17.0% in Malawi and 30.5% in Zambia), while medications prescribed were mostly analgesics (35.7% in Malawi and 29.9% in Zambia). Only a small proportion of patients were referred to local secondary facilities or district hospitals, 51 (28.7%) in Malawi and 59 (19.9%) in Zambia respectively. Chi square test shows a significant difference ( P < .001) in diseases in both countries, but there was no statistically significant difference between the mean age of patients seen in both countries, using the independent t-test ( P = .365). Conclusion This study highlights statistically significant demographic differences between the 2 communities and possible reasons for these, and how volunteers’ roles in rural healthcare in the East African communities could be further evaluated.

This paper takes a critical look at the Zambian Education system by focusing on the teaching of English in the country. This is achieved through discussing the structure and organisation of the education system, teacher training and the standard of English to be taught in schools relative to other varieties. By reviewing studies which have been conducted on the teaching of English in Zambia, the paper observes that while remarkable strides have been made in improving the teaching of English, there are a number of issues which need attention. For instance, the recognition of translanguaging and its pedagogic value forms a big part of the argument in this paper.

Abstract:Daron Acemoglu, James Robinson and others are explaining divergent economic histories with qualitative measures of institutional quality – including Acemoglu and Robinson's popular inclusive/extractive dichotomy. While quantitative studies have sort to confirm these links using econometric proxies, few empirical accounts have shownhowthese proxies, or indeed the institutions they seek to represent actually influenced economic growth. This study helps fill that gap by testing whether evidence in Zambia's post-colonial history supports a proposed econometric link between its institutional quality and its slow economic growth. Support for this link is found in foreign investors’ interpretation of declining institutional constraint on Zambia's President as the potential for increased policy volatility, and as such an economic inducement to delay critical investment to Zambia's capital constrained economy. These findings add weight to the institutional argument in general, as well as present one concrete example in history of a mechanism through which institutional quality affected economic growth.

BackgroundWe established Zambia's first neurology residency program at the University of Zambia School of Medicine and the University Teaching Hospital in Lusaka.ObjectiveTo evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of a modified objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) to assess clinical skills.MethodsThe neurology training program's 3 participants completed the OSCE exercise in February 2019. We used smartphones to videotape trainees performing a physical examination and oral presentation in the neurology clinic. Trainees and faculty reviewed the videos independently using a standardized rubric and then met for in-person feedback.ResultsThree trainees completed pre- and post-OSCE surveys rating their confidence in elements of the history and examination. Trainees' average self-confidence scores improved from the pre- to post-OSCE survey in every category (pre-OSCE: mean score 6.84, range 4.8–7.8, SD 0.92; post-OSCE: mean score 7.9, range 5.67–9.33, SD 0.86). Qualitative feedback showed trainees found the OSCE helpful, routinely applied feedback, and would appreciate repeating OSCEs.ConclusionsOSCEs improve trainees' self-confidence and can be modified and successfully implemented in a resource-limited neurology postgraduate training program. Important OSCE modifications involved using smartphones for videotaping and a real patient encounter rather than a standardized patient. Embedding the experience within a busy clinic day was practical, applicable, and efficient. Future work should expand use of OSCEs both within the Zambian neurology residency program and non-neurology training programs. Including additional video reviewers could add to the validity of clinical skills assessment. Videos could also be used for remote mentorship and teaching purposes.

AbstractThe rapid expansion in commercial exports of second-hand clothing from the West to the Third World and the increase in second-hand clothing consumption in many African countries raise challenging questions about the effects of globalisation and the meanings of the West and the local that consumers attribute to objects at different points of their journey across global space. This article draws on extensive research into the sourcing of second-hand clothing in the West, and its wholesaling, retailing, distribution and consumption in Zambia. Discussing how people in Zambia are deahng with the West's unwanted clothing, the article argues that a cultural economy is at work in local appropriations of this particular commodity that is opening space for local agency in clothing consumption. Clothing has a powerful hold on people's imagination because the self and society articulate through the dressed body. To provide background for this argument, the article briefly sketches recent trends in the global second-hand clothing trade that place the countries of sub-Saharan Africa as the world's largest importing region. There follows a discussion of Zambians' preoccupation with clothing, both new and second-hand, historically and at the present time. It demonstrates that the meanings consumers in Zambia attribute to second-hand clothing are neither uniform nor static but shift across class and gender lines, and between urban and rural areas. Above all, they depend on the cultural politics of their time. In dealing with clothing, people in Zambia are making sense of post-colonial society and their own place within it and in the world at large.

Normative professional journalism and the need to re-evaluate the structural social context of journalism practice and its role in emerging democracies has led to the increased scrutiny of journalists and their relationship to news sources. This study conceptualises the relationship between journalists and news sources as a dual process of consensus and conflict of interests in the newsgathering practice in Zambia, an emerging democracy. The study suggests that journalists actively pursue powerful individuals in society such as those in government, pressure groups and business as news sources who have been available and suitable in the past. Journalists’ view of society as bureaucratically organised and the short turn-around time of news production are among the organisational factors attributed to this tendency. This study adopts a sociological approach to investigate the journalist-news source relationship at The Post, in Zambia, by factoring in the perspectives of social organisation of newswork and political economy. Whereas the social organisation perspective focuses on the organisational and occupational demands of journalists, political economy reinforces the larger context of journalist-news source interaction in a society. Additionally, the social constructivist theory, which is premised around the idea that the agenda and content of journalism production, is in part a product of non-journalistic social factors is useful in understanding the various influences on the relationship. The study investigates the nature of the journalist-news source relationship using two diametrically opposed views – the dominant (exchange) and competitive (adversarial) paradigms. This is aimed at establishing whether the relationship is an exchange or adversarial. While the latter relationship is common in liberal democracies where the media are seen as part of elite structures with considerable power on their own, the thinking is that inequalities in resource distribution and political power generate social tensions in developing countries that require media to be carefully managed. Using qualitative semi-structured interviews and observation methods, this study establishes that while the adversarial role has an attraction for the journalists investigated, the exchange model comes closest to describing the nature of relationship they share with their news sources.

The Internet and World Wide Web have become dominant newsgathering tools in a sholi period of time. While the body of research, particularly in the First World, has developed quickly along with the Web, many unanswered questions remain on how journalists in developing countries make use of the Internet for newsgathering purposes. This study combined social constructivist theory with the socio-organisational and cultural approaches to news production in order to critically investigate how journalists at The Post newspaper in Zambia relate to, and make use of, the Internet as a newsgathering resource, in the context of Third World conditions. The study critiqued technological detelminism perspectives on journalists' use of the new information technology. The technological determinism theory, which has largely been advanced by some scholars from the developed world, takes a celebratory approach to journalists' use of the Internet in the newsroom. Using qualitative semi-structured interviews and observations, the study established that while journalists at The Post acknowledged the lnternet's potential in news gathering, factors such as unreliable telecommunications infrastructure, poor Internet skills, lack of local content on the World Wide Web, and organisational and occupational demands inhibited the use of the Internet as a journalistic newsgathering resource. The study established further that online reporting is only a tool within the broader news gathering and production process; and in the case of The Post, it does not replace the traditional news gathering techniques used by journalists, particularly direct contacts with human sources. The respondents cited face-to-face interviews, a traditional means of newsgathering, as the main driving force in news gathering routines at the newspaper. However, although the respondents saw some mixed blessings in the Internet as a reporting tool, they also believed that the benefits outweighed the problems.
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This thesis examines the history of domestic service in Zambia from the 1960s to the present day. Domestic service was one of the largest sectors of urban employment throughout this period and involved large numbers of men, women and children selling and buying labour in a variety of working arrangements. The sector has, however, received little scholarly or official attention, reflecting a broader historiographical neglect of informal sector employment and the female workers who predominate in this area of the economy. The lack of attention paid to domestic service by academics and policy-makers has considerably limited the questions that have been asked about who workers are and how processes of reproduction and production have been organized at a household and societal level in Zambia, both historically and in the present. Most immediately, in order to work outside of the home, earn money and access crucial resources, thousands of Zambians needed to find someone else to take care of their homes and children. Drawing on a wide range of source material, this study demonstrates the importance of domestic service to social and economic relations in post-colonial Zambia. The study centres on domestic service arrangements in black households in the capital city of Lusaka. It examines how and why men, women and children found work in service, how and why employers sought help with domestic and care labour, and the relationships that developed between these parties. The study illustrates the diversity of the sector, with working arrangements varying from seemingly-informal kinship-based labour relations at one end of the spectrum to formalised, contractual employment at the other. The study also explains the gendered and generational shifts that have reshaped domestic service over the last fifty years, drawing attention to the increased significance of women and female children's labour. Overall this thesis provides new insights into class formation, rural-urban dependencies, gender relations, and the nature of inequality in a post-colonial African city.

The press is credited with playing a central role in the consolidation of democracy by informing citizens, engaging them in the process of public decision making and governance and stimulating wide and inclusive debate on public matters. In emergent democracies like Zambia, the extent of the media's role as a public sphere, not to mention its impact, is not known. The study set out to investigate the extent of the press' public sphere role, particularly how Zambian newspapers report Parliament and how such coverage informs public opinion. It found that though the press covers Parliament, the nature of coverage does not empower newspaper readers with the kind of context, background and interpretation they would otherwise need to engage in public discourses on matters that affect them from an informed perspective. In the main, the role of the press in informing citizens is not fully realised, not only because uninformative character of coverage, but partly because of low literacy levels and the limited reach of local newspapers. It was against this background that the study recommended ways in which the Zambian press could re-focus its approach to parliamentary news coverage to make it more informational and more inclined towards playing a public sphere role, at least to the newspaper-reading public. Making parliamentary coverage an integrated newsroom function was the main recommendation. It provided the basis for suggesting a practical editorial option for the coverage of the legislature that accommodates the integration of context, background and interpretation into parliamentary news.

The prevalence of post abortion contraception in Zambia is lower than in many other African countries, with unmet family planning needs. Midwives play an important professional role in family planning. In conjunction with an abortion the midwife is provided with an opportunity to inform, discuss, prescribe and initiate family planning with the woman concerned. It is shown that women receiving information and knowledge about post abortion contraception are more likely to use it.   The aim of the study was to describe midwives experiences of working with post abortion family planning in Zambia.   A qualitative interview study with semi-structured questions was used. To conduct the study and find participants with the right inclusion criteria a strategic sampling was used. Ten midwives working with post abortion family planning in Zambia were interviewed. Qualitative content analysis was performed to analyze the collected data from the interviews.   During the data-analysis two categories and eight subcategories were identified. The midwives had experiences of several challenges within post abortion family planning. These included lack of knowledge, supplies and health care staff as well as problem with stigma around family planning and lack of compliance. The midwives also described other factors influencing the work with post abortion family planning. These factors included changes in attitudes, the midwife's knowledge and the importance of information provided by the midwives.   The midwives experienced that there were several factors influencing their work with post abortion family planning. Several challenges within post abortion family planning were identified in this study. Areas of improvement involve education, more midwives working and a better availability to post abortion family planning equipment and services.
Användandet av preventivmedel efter abort är lägre i Zambia i jämförelse med andra afrikanska länder och behovet av familjeplanering är inte tillfredsställt i Zambia. Barnmorskeprofessionen har en viktig roll i familjeplanering. I samband med abort har barnmorskan ett utmärkt tillfälle att informera, diskutera, förskriva samt initiera familjeplanering med den berörda kvinnan. Det har visat sig att kvinnor som får information och kunskap om familjeplanering efter abort är mer benägna att använda sig av preventivmedel.   Syftet med denna studie var att beskriva barnmorskors erfarenheter av att arbeta med familjeplanering för kvinnor i Zambia som genomgått en abort.   En kvalitativ intervjustudie med semistrukturerade frågor användes. För att nå deltagare som uppfyllde studiens inklusionskriterier användes ett strategiskt urval. Tio barnmorskor i Zambia som arbetar med familjeplanering efter abort deltog i studien. En kvalitativ innehållsanalys utfördes för att analysera det insamlade materialet.   Under analysen identifierades två kategorier och åtta subkategorier. Barnmorskorna hade erfarenhet av flera utmaningar inom familjeplanering efter abort. Dessa bestod dels av brist på kunskap, material och vårdpersonal samt problem med stigma kring familjeplanering och brist på följsamhet rörande preventivmedelsanvändning. Barnmorskorna beskrev även andra faktorer som påverkade arbetet med familjeplanering efter abort. Dessa faktorer bestod av ändrade attityder, barnmorskans kunskap och vikten av barnmorskans information.   Barnmorskorna hade erfarenhet av att flera faktorer påverkade deras arbete med familjeplanering efter abort. Flera utmaningar med familjeplanering efter abort identifierades genom den här studien. Förbättringsområden involverar utbildning, fler verksamma barnmorskor och en bättre tillgänglighet till material och familjeplanering efter abort.

In rain-fed farming systems, a poor harvest can have broad and overwhelming effects on affected households. Smallholder farmers have to ensure that they have adequate food from one harvest to the other and enough inputs for the next farming season. Households consume more just after the harvest and the consumption levels decline as they move away from the harvest season. The study identified the ex-ante and ex-post adjustment mechanisms to seasonal food and input requirements. Special consideration was given to determine whether the probability of using a given adjustment mechanism to seasonality is the same in good, normal, poor and very poor years and whether household wealth has an influence on the use of adjustment mechanisms. Attention was also given to determining whether agricultural production and household wealth are reflected in observed seasonality in consumption. The study used cross-sectional data from 225 randomly selected households. The study relied on non-parametric methods of data analysis because the required dependent variables could not meet the parametric assumptions. The analysis showed that the probabilities of using some ex-ante and ex-post adjustment mechanisms for both food and input requirements by the non-poor households are not the same in good, normal, poor and very poor years. However, the poor households’ probability of using any of the identified ex-post adjustment mechanisms to seasonal input requirements is the same in all the years. The study established that household wealth affects the use of ex-ante and ex-post adjustment mechanisms to seasonal input requirements and ex-post adjustment mechanisms to seasonal food requirements after good, normal, poor and very poor harvests. The study further revealed that agricultural production is reflected in household seasonal consumption. However, the study failed to find a relationship between consumption and agricultural production in the post-harvest season after good and normal harvests. The study also showed that household wealth is reflected in food consumption in all the seasons of normal, poor and very poor years. However, no relationship was found between food consumption and household wealth in the post-harvest and rainy seasons after good harvests. The study further revealed that there is always a seasonal fall in consumption levels among households of all wealth strata despite the use of adjustment mechanisms. The situation worsens as we move from the good years towards the very poor years. The study suggests that the use of one size fits all type of interventions to minimise the seasonality problem cannot adequately achieve the required results for all households. It is important to know the way households from each wealth stratum respond to the seasonality problem and why they respond in such a way. Programmes that encourage strategic planning, agricultural production and wealth creation are necessary to reduce the seasonality problem. Furthermore, mechanisms which ensure that the benefits from government interventions reach the poor households are necessary.
Dissertation (MSc Agric)--University of Pretoria, 2013.
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Agricultural Economics, Extension and Rural Development
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Magister Artium (Child and Family Studies) - MA(CFS)
The field, institutional care and transitioning out of care, has been well-researched in different countries around the world. Recent research has begun to look more closely on how some post-institutionalized individuals overcome these challenges associated with institutional care and be able to adapt and integrate well in society. In other words, how post-institutionalized adults build their resilience.

This study investigates press freedom in the political context of Zambia by looking at The Post, a daily tabloid that operates in the country. It involves in-depth interviews with tabloid journalists working or having worked with the tabloid mainly in the area of reporting politics. It involves a literature review in the broader subject area and notes that, even though press freedom is the life blood of any democratic society which needs to be enhanced, there are other complexities that hinder its realisation, including ownership interests, tabloid journalists’ predilections, advertisers’ influence, political authorities’ expectations, and readers’ social and economic positions. In addition, despite the general public’s expectations and the press’s ardent quest for press freedom, the conception and understanding of press freedom in democracy is far from straight forward. The research found that The Post was incapable of contributing effectively to the maturity of democracy. Its level of credibility as a tabloid was compromised by joining ranks with ruling politicians. Its traditional watchdog role of exposing political and social elites to public accountability was also suppressed due to political partnership. In addition, citizens needed to consider seriously online journalism as it provided information at the expense of The Post which was no longer vocal in these domains. Government too needed to provide favorable mechanisms to enhance online publishing as it was beneficial to the promotion and protection of democracy. Furthermore, the Press Association of Zambia and the Media Institute of Southern Africa needed to be more critical of government operations towards the press and needed to intensify their role in providing checks and balance on journalists to uphold their professional values. Overall thesis contribution to knowledge derives from its critical examination of this under examined area of the role of tabloid journalism in emerging democracies. It adds detailed knowledge on the professional practice of tabloid journalism in Zambia as an exemplar of the political role of tabloid media in a developing democracy.

Tales of unethical reporting, conflict of interest, biases and corruption characterize media practice in Zambia today. The advent of technology and the mushrooming of media houses have ironically magnified this trend. Such tendencies have compromised ethical reporting, thus undermining the journalistic credibility. While some scholars call for a return to African ethics, others hanker for greater professionalism. This study offers an overview of the media in Zambia with Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation and the POST newspaper as its case study. The study looks at how virtue ethics would be effective in reclaiming media credibility. Using qualitative methods, data were collected via theoretical and methodological triangulation. Open-ended questions were designed and distributed among 10 Zambian journalists. The interviews were conducted within a period of one month. Findings indicated that media credibility in Zambia has reached unprecedented levels of suspicion and that virtue ethics, if well applied, would redeem the lost credibility.

At independence in 1964, Zambia inherited an economy driven by copper mining. This has not changed despite post-independence policies to industrialize and diversify the economy. This chapter traces the role of local content in Zambia’s mining sector in supporting industrialization and economic diversification. It assesses productive linkages and manufacturing competitiveness during the import-substitution industrialization and post-1991 liberalization and privatization periods, and the adequacy of the current policy environment. Despite diminished productivity and export competitiveness during import-substitution industrialization, that era was successful in terms of domestic manufacture of mining goods. Privatization and liberalization stymied local content capabilities, retarding industrialization and economic diversification. Post-2000 policies emphasize local content development and export competitiveness. Their success, however, depends on addressing continuing weaknesses in the regulatory environment; human and technological capital; endogenous entrepreneurship; and the macroeconomic environment.

Enbridge Pipelines Inc. has operated a 324 mm diameter, 870 km crude oil pipeline from Norman Wells, Northwest Territories to Zama, Alberta since 1985. This pipeline is the first completely buried oil pipeline constructed within the discontinuous permafrost zone of Canada. This pipeline was constructed over two winter seasons, and since 1985 has transported roughly 200 million barrels of crude oil to southern markets without significant interruption. This paper will review the design, construction, and operational challenges of this pipeline through the past 25 years. Unique and innovative aspects of this pipeline include measures taken during construction to minimize thermal disturbance to the soil, insulating permafrost slopes to minimize post-construction thaw, operating at temperatures that minimize thermal effects on the surrounding ground, accommodating ground movement caused by frost heave/thaw and slope instabilities, and evaluating the effects of moving water bodies adjacent to the pipeline right-of-way. The use of in-line inspection tools (GEOPIG) has been valuable as a supplement to conventional geotechnical monitoring, for the evaluation and assessment the effects of ground movement to the pipeline. Finite element pipe/soil interaction models have been developed for selected sites in order to assess the potential for slope movement to generate strains in the buried pipeline that exceed the strain capacity. This paper will review new monitoring data and findings since previous publications. In addition, the implications of long-term trends of increasing ground temperatures and associated changes to the geotechnical and permafrost conditions along the pipeline route will also be discussed and are relevant to other proposed pipeline and linear infrastructure projects along the Mackenzie Valley.

This report maps the African landscape of Open Science – with a focus on Open Data as a sub-set of Open Science. Data to inform the landscape study were collected through a variety of methods, including surveys, desk research, engagement with a community of practice, networking with stakeholders, participation in conferences, case study presentations, and workshops hosted. Although the majority of African countries (35 of 54) demonstrates commitment to science through its investment in research and development (R&D), academies of science, ministries of science and technology, policies, recognition of research, and participation in the Science Granting Councils Initiative (SGCI), the following countries demonstrate the highest commitment and political willingness to invest in science: Botswana, Ethiopia, Kenya, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, and Uganda. In addition to existing policies in Science, Technology and Innovation (STI), the following countries have made progress towards Open Data policies: Botswana, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, South Africa and Uganda. Only two African countries (Kenya and South Africa) at this stage contribute 0.8% of its GDP (Gross Domestic Product) to R&D (Research and Development), which is the closest to the AU’s (African Union’s) suggested 1%. Countries such as Lesotho and Madagascar ranked as 0%, while the R&D expenditure for 24 African countries is unknown. In addition to this, science globally has become fully dependent on stable ICT (Information and Communication Technologies) infrastructure, which includes connectivity/bandwidth, high performance computing facilities and data services. This is especially applicable since countries globally are finding themselves in the midst of the 4th Industrial Revolution (4IR), which is not only “about” data, but which “is” data. According to an article1 by Alan Marcus (2015) (Senior Director, Head of Information Technology and Telecommunications Industries, World Economic Forum), “At its core, data represents a post-industrial opportunity. Its uses have unprecedented complexity, velocity and global reach. As digital communications become ubiquitous, data will rule in a world where nearly everyone and everything is connected in real time. That will require a highly reliable, secure and available infrastructure at its core, and innovation at the edge.” Every industry is affected as part of this revolution – also science. An important component of the digital transformation is “trust” – people must be able to trust that governments and all other industries (including the science sector), adequately handle and protect their data. This requires accountability on a global level, and digital industries must embrace the change and go for a higher standard of protection. “This will reassure consumers and citizens, benefitting the whole digital economy”, says Marcus. A stable and secure information and communication technologies (ICT) infrastructure – currently provided by the National Research and Education Networks (NRENs) – is key to advance collaboration in science. The AfricaConnect2 project (AfricaConnect (2012–2014) and AfricaConnect2 (2016–2018)) through establishing connectivity between National Research and Education Networks (NRENs), is planning to roll out AfricaConnect3 by the end of 2019. The concern however is that selected African governments (with the exception of a few countries such as South Africa, Mozambique, Ethiopia and others) have low awareness of the impact the Internet has today on all societal levels, how much ICT (and the 4th Industrial Revolution) have affected research, and the added value an NREN can bring to higher education and research in addressing the respective needs, which is far more complex than simply providing connectivity. Apart from more commitment and investment in R&D, African governments – to become and remain part of the 4th Industrial Revolution – have no option other than to acknowledge and commit to the role NRENs play in advancing science towards addressing the SDG (Sustainable Development Goals). For successful collaboration and direction, it is fundamental that policies within one country are aligned with one another. Alignment on continental level is crucial for the future Pan-African African Open Science Platform to be successful. Both the HIPSSA ((Harmonization of ICT Policies in Sub-Saharan Africa)3 project and WATRA (the West Africa Telecommunications Regulators Assembly)4, have made progress towards the regulation of the telecom sector, and in particular of bottlenecks which curb the development of competition among ISPs. A study under HIPSSA identified potential bottlenecks in access at an affordable price to the international capacity of submarine cables and suggested means and tools used by regulators to remedy them. Work on the recommended measures and making them operational continues in collaboration with WATRA. In addition to sufficient bandwidth and connectivity, high-performance computing facilities and services in support of data sharing are also required. The South African National Integrated Cyberinfrastructure System5 (NICIS) has made great progress in planning and setting up a cyberinfrastructure ecosystem in support of collaborative science and data sharing. The regional Southern African Development Community6 (SADC) Cyber-infrastructure Framework provides a valuable roadmap towards high-speed Internet, developing human capacity and skills in ICT technologies, high- performance computing and more. The following countries have been identified as having high-performance computing facilities, some as a result of the Square Kilometre Array7 (SKA) partnership: Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Mozambique, Mauritius, Namibia, South Africa, Tunisia, and Zambia. More and more NRENs – especially the Level 6 NRENs 8 (Algeria, Egypt, Kenya, South Africa, and recently Zambia) – are exploring offering additional services; also in support of data sharing and transfer. The following NRENs already allow for running data-intensive applications and sharing of high-end computing assets, bio-modelling and computation on high-performance/ supercomputers: KENET (Kenya), TENET (South Africa), RENU (Uganda), ZAMREN (Zambia), EUN (Egypt) and ARN (Algeria). Fifteen higher education training institutions from eight African countries (Botswana, Benin, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Sudan, and Tanzania) have been identified as offering formal courses on data science. In addition to formal degrees, a number of international short courses have been developed and free international online courses are also available as an option to build capacity and integrate as part of curricula. The small number of higher education or research intensive institutions offering data science is however insufficient, and there is a desperate need for more training in data science. The CODATA-RDA Schools of Research Data Science aim at addressing the continental need for foundational data skills across all disciplines, along with training conducted by The Carpentries 9 programme (specifically Data Carpentry 10 ). Thus far, CODATA-RDA schools in collaboration with AOSP, integrating content from Data Carpentry, were presented in Rwanda (in 2018), and during17-29 June 2019, in Ethiopia. Awareness regarding Open Science (including Open Data) is evident through the 12 Open Science-related Open Access/Open Data/Open Science declarations and agreements endorsed or signed by African governments; 200 Open Access journals from Africa registered on the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ); 174 Open Access institutional research repositories registered on openDOAR (Directory of Open Access Repositories); 33 Open Access/Open Science policies registered on ROARMAP (Registry of Open Access Repository Mandates and Policies); 24 data repositories registered with the Registry of Data Repositories (re3data.org) (although the pilot project identified 66 research data repositories); and one data repository assigned the CoreTrustSeal. Although this is a start, far more needs to be done to align African data curation and research practices with global standards. Funding to conduct research remains a challenge. African researchers mostly fund their own research, and there are little incentives for them to make their research and accompanying data sets openly accessible. Funding and peer recognition, along with an enabling research environment conducive for research, are regarded as major incentives. The landscape report concludes with a number of concerns towards sharing research data openly, as well as challenges in terms of Open Data policy, ICT infrastructure supportive of data sharing, capacity building, lack of skills, and the need for incentives. Although great progress has been made in terms of Open Science and Open Data practices, more awareness needs to be created and further advocacy efforts are required for buy-in from African governments. A federated African Open Science Platform (AOSP) will not only encourage more collaboration among researchers in addressing the SDGs, but it will also benefit the many stakeholders identified as part of the pilot phase. The time is now, for governments in Africa, to acknowledge the important role of science in general, but specifically Open Science and Open Data, through developing and aligning the relevant policies, investing in an ICT infrastructure conducive for data sharing through committing funding to making NRENs financially sustainable, incentivising open research practices by scientists, and creating opportunities for more scientists and stakeholders across all disciplines to be trained in data management.