What motivated you to join DOAB as an ambassador?
My motivation to join DOAB as an ambassador for Nigeria comes from my long-standing engagement with the DOAB platform as a librarian; I have referred our users and other libraries to open books on DOAB. This is my way of paying the access DOAB afforded my library forward. Also, as a research support librarian and open access advocate, I observed that the visibility of locally published books and monographs within the global scholarly infrastructure is low, despite the frequency of book publishing for promotion and tenure assessment. As a global platform, DOAB is a platform that aligns closely with my commitment to improving the discovery and reuse of African scholarship. As a DOAB ambassador, I can achieve this commitment.
How do you plan to drive open-access books publishing in your country/region through your work as a DOAB ambassador?
My focus will be on two interconnected areas- capacity building and infrastructure.
I plan to engage librarians, university presses, and editors through professional networks and training sessions to improve understanding of OA book publishing standards and discovery pathways.On the infrastructure side, I will advocate for better integration between institutional repositories, local publishing initiatives, and global discovery platforms such as DOAB, to ensure that Nigerian open-access books are not only published but also widely visible and reusable. In addition, I will advocate for the inclusion of open-access books in discussions on research assessment reforms.
What or who inspires you in your role?
Firstly, democratising access to education resources in Nigeria. A big shout-out to librarians, editors, and scholars who are sustaining open and community-driven publishing models globally despite the challenges.
I am also inspired by the work LIBSENSE is doing at the intersections of capacity, policy and community-driven infrastructure for open access and science in West Africa. DOAB reflects some of these principles in practice, and that alignment is a strong source of motivation for my work as a DOAB ambassador.
What are the biggest challenges you see in advancing open-access book publishing in your country/region?
The challenges I see are capacity gaps around publishing workflows, infrastructure, and sustainable funding models.