WUASpace Repository
The WUASpace is an open access digital archive which collects, preserves, and disseminates scholarly content produced by the WUA community. WUASpace contains journal articles, book chapters, postgraduate thesis/dissertations, conference papers, pre-prints, working papers, technical reports, progress reports, project reports, among others.
Communities in DSpace
Select a community to browse its collections.
- This community collects and showcases research, policies, and scholarly outputs that promote gender equality, diversity, and inclusion.
Recent Submissions
Open Access as Transformative Model in Scholarly Communication: Identifying Key Trends, Major Benefits, Persistent Challenges, and Future Research Directions
(Collection Development in Africa (CDiA) 2025 Conference, 2025-09-22) Primerose Godini
Open Access (OA) has emerged as a transformative model in global scholarly communication, promising to democratise access to research and enhance knowledge dissemination. However, its adoption and impact in Southern Africa remain underexplored despite the region’s growing research output and unique socioeconomic contexts. This systematic literature review aimed to identify key trends, major benefits, persistent challenges, and future research directions regarding Open Access as a transformative model in scholarly communication in Southern Africa from 2014 to 2025. A comprehensive systematic literature review was conducted following PRISMA guidelines. Multiple databases were searched including SciSpace, PubMed, Google Scholar, and regional African databases. Inclusion criteria encompassed studies focused on OA models in Southern African countries (Angola, Botswana, DRC, Swaziland, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe) published in English between the years 2014-2025. Two independent reviewers screened titles, abstracts, and full texts. Data extraction followed a standardised form, and risk of bias was assessed using ROBINS-I criteria. The search identified 126 records, with 21 studies meeting inclusion criteria after deduplication and screening. The review revealed four major trends: (1) institution-led OA initiatives predominantly through repositories and policies, (2) growing awareness but uneven adoption patterns, (3) emergence of local OA journals, and (4) integration with research data management frameworks. Key benefits included increased research visibility (85% of studies), enhanced global collaboration (55%), and improved knowledge equity. Persistent challenges comprised funding constraints (78% of studies), technical infrastructure limitations (65%), policy fragmentation (58%), and researcher awareness gaps (52%). Future research priorities emphasized policy harmonization (priority score 4.8/5.0), capacity building (4.6/5.0), and regional collaboration frameworks (4.8/5.0). Open Access shows transformative potential in Southern Africa but requires coordinated regional approaches to address systemic barriers. The evidence supports targeted interventions in policy development, infrastructure investment, and capacity building to realise OA’s full benefits for the region’s scholarly communication ecosystem.
Navigating the FAIR Frontier: Assessing the Prospects of Implementing FAIR Principles in Research Data Management for Academic Libraries in Zimbabwe.
(UbuntuNet Connect 2025 Conference Presentations, 2025-10-31) Primerose Godini
The implementation of Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable (FAIR) principles in research data management (RDM) is critical for enhancing the visibility, accessibility, and impact of scholarly outputs. Globally, academic libraries are increasingly recognised as pivotal actors in advancing FAIR-aligned RDM services, yet they face significant challenges. This study addresses a critical research gap concerning the practical implementation of FAIR principles in research data management (RDM) within Zimbabwean academic libraries, where limited empirical data exists on contextual challenges and enabling factors. The study aims to investigate the multifaceted obstacles academic libraries face in adopting FAIR-aligned RDM practices and to identify strategic opportunities that can enhance academic libraries’ their role as trusted stewards of research data. Specifically, the objectives are to (1) assess current RDM infrastructure and policy environments in Zimbabwean academic libraries, (2) evaluate librarians’ and researchers’ awareness and capacity regarding FAIR principles, and (3) propose actionable recommendations for sustainable FAIR implementation tailored to Zimbabwe’s socio-technical context. Employing a mixed-methods approach, the study combines qualitative data from semi-structured interviews with academic librarians and policymakers, and quantitative survey data from researchers across multiple Zimbabwean universities. Data analysis focuses on thematic coding and descriptive statistics to capture both the depth and breadth of the perspectives. By illuminating the interplay of technological, legal, cultural, and organisational factors, this study offers a nuanced understanding of the Zimbabwean FAIR frontier. The findings provide a timely, evidence-based roadmap for academic libraries to overcome barriers and leverage prospects in advancing open, FAIR-compliant research data stewardship, thereby contributing to national and global open science agendas.
Navigating the Academic Publishing Landscape: Choosing Reputable Journals/Publishers
(Women's University in Africa, 2025-07-29) Ngonidzashe Mutanana; Nancy Kwangwa; Primerose Godini
The Women’s University in Africa Library and the Research Innovation and Postgraduate Centre (RIPC) on the 29th of July 2025, successfully hosted a workshop training on Navigating the Academic publishing Landscape: Choosing Reputable Journals/Publishers. This workshop was held as part of the RIPC Brownbag Series. The session was tailored for both academic, administrative staff and post graduate students, the workshop took place in Room AL5 at the Manresa Campus and were concurrently delivered via Microsoft Teams to ensure wider accessibility. The workshop aimed to empower researchers with the skills to identify credible journals and avoid predatory publishing. Key sessions explored the importance of publishing in reputable outlets, highlighted WUA community publishing trends, and provided tools such as Think.Check.Submit and JANE for journal selection. Participants learned to assess journal quality, understand ethical publishing practices, and navigate the peer review process. The workshop concluded with an interactive Q&A, fostering dialogue on best practices in scholarly publishing and enhancing participants’ capacity to disseminate impactful research.
The Disruptions of African Indigenous Culture Experienced During COVID-19 Pandemic in Zimbabwe.
(International Journal of Humanities Social Sciences and Education (IJHSSE), 2021-06-18) Prince Dzingirayi; Tendeukai Isaac Chinooneka; Pauline Chitiga; Blessing Mathabire
COVID-19 pandemic is a healthy crisis which has painfully demonstrated cultural mayhem in the
world over. The pandemic has created a profound shock, with different implications and complications to human life. Humanity has been turned upside down with direct unprecedented impact to traditional cultural practices such as socialisation, work, learning, bereavement, traditional remedies and different cultural
ceremonies which cement the spirit of Ubuntu. COVID-19 has taken a leading role in paralysing and
endanger the livelihoods of African people in different communities. The traditional African worldview of good health emphasises the interrelationship between human beings (the living) and the living-dead (ancestors). Traditional culture provides its members with behavioral pictures and it offers models of how people should or might feel and act in response to different pandemics.It is in this auspices that the paper focused on the African traditional crisis which emanate as a result of restrictive measures of curbing the spread of coronavirus in Zimbabwe. The study used the Transformative Paradigm (TP) and Critical Emancipatory Research (CER) as the beacon of the research. This research design enables the researcher and the researched to jointly get into the problem and collaboratively find solutions by interrogating the existing social and cultural vacuum. Data was gathered from the community elders who are custodians of culture. Data was collected through social media platforms of WhatsApp and Facebook and was analysed using response scripts. A convenient and opportunistic sampling technique was used in the study. The acclaim
of pandemics has been experienced before and different cultural reactions are known. The research findings revealed that COVID-19 has genuinely affected cultural practices of bereavement handling, social interaction, learning, illness, life and death as well as destabilisation of cultural norms and values. As part of the recommendations of this study there is need to make use of traditional remedies so as not to disrupt important cultural practices.
Zimbabwe Market Study: Masvingo Province Report
(Research Technical Assistance Center, 2020-01) Dominica Chingarande; Gift Mugano; Godfrey Chagwiza; Mabel Hungwe
This report presents the findings of a market study conducted in Masvingo Province in July 2019 using
both qualitative and quantitative methods to inform the strategic direction of the USAID’s Office of
Food for Peace (FFP) in Zimbabwe. A wide range of actors were interviewed, including government
departments, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), traders, retailers, wholesalers, transporters,
financial service organizations, and beneficiaries of food assistance. The market study aims to achieve a
greater understanding of how markets work in the context of Masvingo Province, their structures
(physical and nonphysical), dynamics, and social outcomes. A central aspect of the analysis is to
understand how and in what ways markets are organized in Masvingo Province. Through this study, we
identify the risks and opportunities in order to inform programming and strategies in the market
determinants and the constraints and impacts on the achievement of outcomes in human development
influenced by the agriculture and food security sectors.