In this blog post, Kamel Belhamel, DOAJ Managing Editor and Ambassador for North Africa and the Middle East, highlights both the progress and challenges of open access journals in North Africa and outlines a roadmap for improvement.
The North African region has made important strides in expanding access to scholarly research through Open Access (OA) journals. Countries such as Algeria, Egypt, Morocco, Libya and Tunisia launched national platforms to support academic publishing. However, the quality of these journals remains uneven, limiting their global impact and credibility.
A diverse but uneven landscape
North Africa’s OA landscape is shaped by several national initiatives:
- Algeria – Algerian Scientific Journal Platform (ASJP) (891 journals)
- Libia – Libyan Scientific Journals Platform (LSJP) (69 journals)
- Egypt – Egyptian Knowledge Bank (EKB) (1,060 journals)
- Morocco – Moroccan Scientific Journals Portal (PRSM) (198 journals)
- Tunisia – Tunisian Scientific Periodicals Online (PST) (26 journals)
These platforms reflect growing institutional and governmental support for OA. However, only 17.5% of the region’s 2,244 OA journals meet the quality standards required for inclusion in the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) – a widely recognised benchmark for credible OA publishing (Table 1).
This gap underscores systemic issues such as financial constraints, outdated digital infrastructure, and inconsistent editorial policies.
| North African Countries | Number of OA Journals | OA Journals indexed in DOAJ |
| Algeria | 891 | 32 |
| Egypt | 1060 | 315 |
| Libya | 69 | 5 |
| Morocco | 198 | 35 |
| Tunisia | 26 | 6 |
| Total | 2,244 | 393 |
Table 1: Number of Open Access (OA) journals hosted on the National OA platforms. Source: Algerian Scientific Journal platform ( ASJP), Libyan Journals Platform ( LSJP), Portal of Moroccan Scientific Journals (PRSM), Egyptian Knowledge Bank ( EKB), Tunisian Scientific Journals Online ( PST). Accessed: June 1st, 2025.
Figure 1: Open Access (OA) journals hosted on the National OA platforms in the North African region. Accessed June 1st, 2025
The above chart (Figure 1) illustrates the distribution of OA journals across North African countries and highlights how many of them are indexed in the DOAJ:
- Egypt has the highest number of OA journals (1,060), with 315 listed in DOAJ.
- Algeria follows with 891 OA journals hosted on the Algerian Scientific Journal platform (ASJP) but only 32 in DOAJ.
- Morocco has 198 OA journals but only 35 in DOAJ.
- Libya and Tunisia have far fewer journals overall, with modest representation in DOAJ.
The above suggests a significant gap between the number of OA journals published and those meeting the standards for DOAJ inclusion, particularly in Algeria.
Key challenges
- Financial barriers
Most North African OA journals operate with limited budgets, relying on minimal article processing charges (APCs) or government subsidies. This hinders investment in robust editorial workflows, peer review processes, and technological upgrades.
In Algeria, for instance, OA journals are fully funded by the Ministry of Higher Education through the Directorate General for Scientific Research and Technological Development (DGRSDT). These journals follow the Diamond OA model – free for both authors and readers – which supports equity but may constrain innovation and scalability. - Technological limitations
Many platforms lack modern publishing systems such as Open Journal Systems (OJS), which streamline manuscript submission, peer review, and publication. Without such tools, journals struggle to ensure transparency and editorial efficiency. - Language and visibility
The majority of journals are published in Arabic or French, which limits their global reach. This linguistic barrier reduces citation rates and collaboration opportunities, isolating North African research from international discourse. - Quality assurance and ethics
A shortage of trained editors and reviewers has led to inconsistent peer review practices and a lack of editorial transparency, eroding trust in regional journals. Ethical concerns – including the persistence of predatory journals – further undermine credibility. To address these issues, journals must prioritize rigorous peer review (e.g., double-blind processes), adherence to guidelines from the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), and transparency in editorial policies.
A path forward: building quality and sustainability
To enhance the quality of OA journals in the region, a multi-faceted strategy is needed:
- Capacity building
Training editors and reviewers in digital publishing, ethics, and peer review best practices is essential. Organizations like DOAJ can play a leading role by offering structured capacity-building programs. - Technology adoption
The implementation of open-source platforms like OJS can standardize editorial workflows. In parallel, AI-tools can assist with plagiarism detection and language editing, enhancing efficiency and quality control. - Bilingual publishing
Combining Arabic or French with English abstracts and metadata can balance local relevance with global accessibility. This approach improves discoverability while respecting linguistic diversity. - Funding innovation
Governments and universities should sustain and scale the Diamond OA model to reduce reliance on APCs. Regional collaboration across North African OA platforms could enable resource sharing, reduce duplication, and promote best practices. - Community awareness
Authors should be encouraged to use tools like Think. Check. Submit. to identify credible journals. Institutions should incentivize DOAJ indexing through policy support and funding opportunities.
The role of collaboration and technology
Looking ahead, collaboration and technological innovation hold great promise. AI-driven tools can support metadata generation, peer review, and editorial decision-making. Resources like the OA Journals Toolkit, developed by DOAJ and OASPA, offer practical guidance for both new and established journals.
Equally important is grassroots advocacy. Changing cultural perceptions about OA and promoting its role in democratizing knowledge is key to sustainable progress.
Conclusion
Open Access journals in North Africa have immense potential to amplify the region’s scientific contributions. By addressing financial, technical, and cultural barriers – and embracing innovation and regional solidarity – these journals can evolve from local repositories into globally recognized platforms.
With strategic investment and coordinated action, North Africa is well-positioned to become a leader in equitable, high-quality Open Access publishing.
Kamel Belhamel is a Managing Editor of the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) and is Ambassador for North Africa and the Middle East. He is also a full professor of chemistry at the University of Béjaïa, Algeria. Since 2016, he has actively promoted Open Access, Open Science, and knowledge equity across Africa and the Arab world.
