Embedding national knowledge infrastructure for STI-Led innovation : positioning Uganda’s libraries, archives & information institutions in the amended UNCST act.

Abstract

The paper advocates for amending the Uganda National Council for Science and Technology (UNCST) Act to formally position libraries, archives, and information institutions as core national knowledge infrastructure. It identifies a critical gap: despite UNCST's mandate to disseminate research, Uganda's outputs are often inaccessible—published behind international paywalls or lost in fragmented, unpublished formats—which stifles innovation and leads to duplicated efforts. The author proposes four key amendments: legally recognizing information institutions as essential STI infrastructure, mandating open-access deposition of publicly funded research in Ugandan repositories, including librarians in STI governance committees, and establishing a unified National STI Digital Knowledge Gateway. These changes aim to transform UNCST from a ceremonial clearinghouse into a functional system that preserves, organizes, and provides access to Ugandan knowledge, thereby fueling local innovation, ensuring research transparency, and maximizing the return on public investment in science and technology.