Our third Open Access Africa conference was a huge success. It took place at the University of Cape Town, South Africa and thrived with the wealth of expertise based at the University, alongside prominent speakers from around the world.

The conference allowed researchers, librarians, journal editors, funders and other decision makers to come together and share their thoughts and ideas on how open access publishing can support science and medicine in Africa.

The discussions emphasised the need for a clear message about what open access is and the importance of sustainable funding for African journals.

To experience Open Access Africa 2012 and the fundamental issues the conference addressed, please visit the OOA12 website where you will find the presentation slides, videos and more useful material.

Professionals whose roles interact with research information are keen to explore how open access publishing can best be implemented and supported in Africa. Recognising this, BioMed Central followed Open Access Africa with the second ‘Summit on the sustainability of open access publishing in Africa’. Outcomes focus on gathering evidence and making cases. Groups will explore whether successful African journals can be leveraged to raise awareness and build publishing capacity, and will identify the sources of funding for African research. Get in touch if you are interested in finding out more or getting involved with this work.