Welcome to AfricArXiv
This initiative showcases UbuntuNet's commitment to fostering knowledge sharing, collaboration, and accessibility within the African research community. With AfricArxiv, researchers across the continent have a dedicated platform to disseminate their findings, making them accessible to a global audience. By facilitating open access to scholarly work, UbuntuNet Alliance plays a pivotal role in advancing the principles of open science, enhancing research visibility, and driving innovation across Africa.

Communities in DSpace
Select a community to browse its collections.
- The general repository is open for individual submissions by researchers, librarians and research administrators.
- Showcase of project activities, presentations, and scholarly contributions curated by the AfricArXiv initiative.
- A Rapid Grant Fund to address research questions and implement science engagement activities associated with COVID-19
- An initiative to support the development of a harmonised quality assurance and accreditation system at institutional, national, regional and Pan-African continental level.
Recent Submissions
African Data Ethics: A Discursive Framework for Black Decolonial Data Science
(ArXiv, 2025) Teanna Barrett; Chinasa T. Okolo; B. Biira; Eman Sherif; Amy X. Zhang; Leilani Battle
The shift towards pluralism in global data ethics acknowledges the importance of including perspectives from the Global Majority to develop responsible data science practices that mitigate systemic harms in the current data science ecosystem. Sub-Saharan African (SSA) practitioners, in particular, are disseminating progressive data ethics principles and best practices for identifying and navigating anti-blackness and data colonialism. To center SSA voices in the global data ethics discourse, we present a framework for African data ethics informed by the thematic analysis of an interdisciplinary corpus of 50 documents. Our framework features six major principles: 1) Challenge Power Asymmetries, 2) Assert Data Self-Determination, 3) Invest in Local Data Institutions & Infrastructures, 4) Utilize Communalist Practices, 5) Center Communities on the Margins, and 6) Uphold Common Good. We compare our framework to seven particularist data ethics frameworks to find similar conceptual coverage but diverging interpretations of shared values. Finally, we discuss how African data ethics demonstrates the operational value of data ethics frameworks. Our framework highlights Sub-Saharan Africa as a pivotal site of responsible data science by promoting the practice of communalism, self-determination, and cultural preservation.
Waste Management in Rivers State: The Role of the Mechanical Engineer
(International Journal of Management and Operations Research, 2025-06-06) Ovundah King Wofuru-Nyenke; Gift Prince Okere
This paper discusses various waste management and disposal strategies and the role of the Mechanical Engineer in their implementation. For many decades, different research institutes of many countries, private organisations as well as individuals have been trying to develop or design effective methods of handling the solid wastes generated in their environment. This is because of the conspicuous effects of these wastes which have become a matter of great concern locally, nationally and even globally. The desire to control or handle these solid wastes and their attendant problems led to the different waste management methods which exist today. In spite of the expectations of the masses, cities in Nigeria still grapple with waste management problems, as some areas, particularly the satellite towns stink because of the refuse heaps by the streets and walkways. This paper proposes waste management and disposal strategies such as separation, compaction, shredding or pulverising and incineration, all of which can be aided by design and construction of various machines and equipment by Mechanical Engineers. The paper also proposes a number of maintenance strategies to ensure that waste management equipment and machines do not breakdown too frequently and result in loss of time and money. This research is significant because it proposes effective strategies that can be applied to solve solid waste management and disposal problems, especially in the environs of Rivers State.
Numerical Resolution of the Navier-Stokes Equations in 3D Using the Finite Volume Method: Application to the Millennium Problem
(2025-06-15) Barack Ndenga
We present a robust numerical framework for solving the three-dimensional incompressible
Navier–Stokes equations using the finite volume method. Our Python-based implementation
employs explicit time integration, pressure correction via a Poisson solver, and advanced 3D
visualization tools—including vortex identification and particle tracking. The simulations capture
the formation, evolution, and dissipation of vortex structures, with a monotonic decay of kinetic
energy consistent with the physics of viscous incompressible flows. While this work does not
constitute a formal proof, our results provide new insights into the regularity and energy
properties of solutions, directly addressing the Clay Mathematics Institute’s Millennium Problem.
All code and visualization tools are openly available to ensure full reproducibility and to foster
further research on the existence and smoothness of Navier–Stokes solutions in three
dimensions.While the numerical methods employed are well established, this work distinguishes
itself by providing a fully open-source, Python-based 3D framework—complete with advanced
visualization, detailed documentation, and explicit orientation towards the Millennium Problem.
Transforming Access and Utilization of Skilled Delivery Services in Pastoral Districts of South Omo Zone, Ethiopia
(2025-06-13) Mrs. Roman Tesfaye Abneh
This article presents empirical evidence on the impact of the Hailemariam & Roman Foundation (HRF)’s support in transforming Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health (RMNCH) interventions jointly implemented with local government and communities between 2021 and 2024 in the Hamer and Bena Tsemay woredas (districts) of South Omo Zone, Ethiopia. The initiative achieved a 91 % increase over 2 and ½ years in skilled birth attendance in Hamer Woreda (from 34% to 65%) and an 11.6% increase in Bena Tsemay (from 86% to 96%) over the same period, surpassing Ethiopia’s national target of 90% (FMoH, 2020) in Bena Tsemay. Over 175 health professionals, 20 health managers and leaders, and 22 community leaders were trained, while 71 Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs) were trained to serve as liaisons and promoters of giving birth at health facilities—a strategy aligned with WHO recommendations for engaging informal providers to expand maternal health service coverage (WHO, 2015). Additionally, antenatal care (ANC) coverage increased, with over 80% of women attending at least one ANC visit, and 60% completing four or more—a significant improvement from baseline levels. Postnatal care (PNC) within 48 hours rose from under 20% to over 50%, and ambulance referrals quadrupled, enhancing emergency obstetric response. The findings demonstrate the effectiveness of combining health system strengthening, community-based interventions, strategic advocacy, and culturally tailored solutions to significantly improve maternal and neonatal health outcomes in underserved and remote areas, offering a compelling case for scaling up context-specific RMNCH strategies across pastoralist settings within the country and sub-Saharan Africa.
Les insectes ravageurs vs les insectes pollinisateurs : Comment les plantes font la différence ?
(2025) NGALIFOUROU Frise Rodney Jonathan; Dr MATOKO Xavier François
Plants engage in complex interactions with various insects—some, such as pollinators, play a
beneficial role in reproduction, while others, like pests, can be harmful to growth and
productivity. In African ecosystems, particularly in agriculture, this balance is crucial. This
article explores the strategies plants use to attract pollinators while defending themselves from
herbivorous pests. Several African case studies are highlighted to illustrate how local crops
manage these dual interactions, emphasizing their ecological and economic importance.
Keywords: Pollination, pests, insects, plant defense, coevolution, plant-insect interactions.