Breaking the Walls of Jericho

Abstract

Access to information and knowledge is a fundamental element in an informed and democratic society. Open access (OA) allows users to freely access information and knowledge if they have access to internet. This chapter presents barriers to enhancing OA to information and knowledge with a reference to Africa. The said barriers are akin to the Biblical Walls of Jericho which prevented Israelites from capturing their Promised Land of Canaan. It starts by defining what OA entails, highlights the characteristics of OA and its types. Furthermore, the chapter highlights opportunities brought about by OA to information and knowledge which supports the attainment of sustainable development goals (SDGs). Lastly, the chapter suggest strategies that can be adopted to enhance OA in Africa and thus make it a precursor for the achievement of SDGs. This study is qualitative and used content analysis from available literature to address the research problem.