BioMed Central brings open-access initiative to West Africa

Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) of Kumasi, Ghana, is the first African Foundation Member to participate in ‘Open Access Africa’. This free scheme recently launched by BioMed Central is a collection of initiatives designed to increase the output and visibility of scientific research published by African learning institutes. 

KNUST is the only university in Ghana with an open-access institutional repository and fully supports open-access research, which provides free online access to the full text of research articles. In addition, BioMed Central and KNUST have partnered to host the Open Access Africa 2011 conference, in conjunction with Computer Aid International, from 25-26 October during International Open Access Week. 

‘As the premier science and technology university in Ghana we believe that research is more valuable when it is shared. The effective communication of research results is an integral part of the research process. We are privileged and highly honoured to be the first Foundation Member of BioMed Central and look forward to working with them in the future,’ said William O. Ellis, vice chancellor of KNUST.