OA
Open Access Coordination Council

National Coordination Mechanism

Annex A: Work Programme

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A1. Purpose of the Work Programme

This Work Programme defines the activities, sequencing, and outputs through which the Council will fulfil its mandate during its initial 12–18 month period.

The Work Programme focuses on coordination, alignment, and implementation guidance to embed Open Access Publishing as core national research infrastructure. It does not constitute operational service delivery or project execution.

A2. Guiding Principles

The Work Programme is guided by the following principles:

  1. System coherence – alignment across regulation, funding, institutional governance, and infrastructure.
  2. Institutional stewardship – public and academic control of publishing and persistence.
  3. Diamond Open Access-first – avoidance of author-facing charges.
  4. Phased implementation – sequencing based on readiness, not institutional status.
  5. Sustainability – long-term public value from public investment.

A3. Phase 1: National Baseline and Consolidation (Months 0–3)

Objectives

  1. Establish an authoritative national baseline for Open Access Publishing capacity and practice.
  2. Consolidate existing policy instruments, pilots, and infrastructure into a shared reference point.

Key Activities

  1. Map existing Open Access Publishing activities across universities (books, journals, repositories, research data).
  2. Identify institutional readiness, capacity gaps, and friction points.
  3. Consolidate national policy commitments and agreed principles relevant to Open Access Publishing.

Key Outputs

  1. National Open Access Publishing Baseline Report.
  2. Institutional readiness and gap analysis.
  3. Agreed scope of practices already compliant versus areas requiring reform.

A4. Phase 2: Regulatory, Funding, and PID Alignment (Months 3–6)

Objectives

  1. Translate policy commitments into implementable regulatory and funding logic.
  2. Establish a coherent national approach to persistence and identifiers.

Key Activities

  • Develop draft guidance linking Open Access Publishing to accreditation and quality assurance.
  • Align Open Access Publishing with public funding and infrastructure investment.
  • Convene and initiate a National Persistent Identifiers (PIDs) Working Group.
  • Engage NBTE and NCCE to map sector-specific alignment considerations.

Key Outputs

  • Draft national guidance on Open Access Publishing and accreditation.
  • Funding-aligned Open Access Publishing sustainability guidance.
  • PID Working Group terms of reference and workplan.
  • Initial sector-alignment notes.

A5. Phase 3: Publishing Systems and Research Assessment Pilots (Months 6–12)

Objectives

  1. Test coordinated Open Access Publishing practices in real institutional settings.
  2. Advance responsible research assessment aligned with openness and quality.

Key Activities

  • Pilot coordinated Open Access Publishing workflows across selected institutions.
  • Implement agreed PID practices across pilot outputs and repositories.
  • Develop national Responsible Research Assessment guidance.
  • Facilitate Senate-level and institutional testing through engagement with Vice-Chancellors and institutional leadership.

Key Outputs

  1. Pilot implementation reports.
  2. National Responsible Research Assessment guidance.
  3. Model promotion and evaluation language recognising Open Access Publishing.
  4. Interim lessons learned report.

A6. Phase 4: Institutionalisation and Scale (Months 12–18)

Objectives

  1. Embed agreed practices into national and institutional processes.
  2. Define sustainable long-term coordination arrangements.

Key Activities

  1. Finalise national guidance and roadmaps for Open Access Publishing.
  2. Define governance and sustainability options for continued coordination.
  3. Produce sector-adaptation notes for polytechnics and colleges of education.

Key Outputs

  1. National Open Access Publishing Roadmap (3–5 years).
  2. PID governance and sustainability recommendations.
  3. Sector-adaptation guidance for NBTE and NCCE.
  4. Final Council report and transition recommendations.

A7. Expected Outcomes

At the conclusion of the Work Programme, Nigeria will have:

  • Coherent national guidance for Open Access Publishing.
  • Aligned regulatory, funding, and infrastructure frameworks.
  • Responsible research assessment practices recognising openness.
  • A sustainable, institutionally governed scholarly publishing ecosystem.