The Open Access Working Group has was born from the final regional Implementation and Coordination of Agricultural Research (ICART) workshop by the SADC Network of Agricultural Research & Development Information Managers with its main aim on the development of a regional Agricultural Information Communication & Knowledge Management Strategy (AICKM). This programme is coordinated by Krishan Bheenick from the SADC secretariat.

Though nearing project closure, the ICART project team acted as enabler to develop capacity and a better as well as holistic understanding of the related issues on AICKM in the SADC region, not only on regional level but also for the development of national AICKM strategies. The last workshop held from 30 August – 3 September 2010 successfully integrated information professionals, scientists and ICT practitioners to share expertise and learn from each other. One of the three parallel sessions was on Open Access and Institutional Repositories facilitated by Imma Subirats from the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).

The working group drafted an initial outline of considerations on how to position the region, whereby the different agricultural institutions (government, education and research) in member countries can share information and knowledge in content systems allowing interoperability but most of all visibility. Considerations discussed were mandate, advocacy and incentives, systems and software, resources (financial & human), content and digitization, standards, workflow, policies and most of all how the network can be optimised, resulting in effective cooperation. The current working group is represented by Botswana, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Lesotho, Mauritius, Malawi, Mozambique, Seychelles, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. The following co-coordinators will act as champions to mobilize activities and output within the SADC AR&D Network: 

• Christine W Kanyengo (Zambia) – User Needs Assessment & Capacity Building
• Poloko Ntokwane (Botswana) – Content & Digitization
• Rejaene van Dyk (South Africa) – Advocacy & Sensitization