Welcome to Research Software Africa (RSAfrica26)

Do you want to learn what others are doing in research software in your domain and in other domains? Or do you want to discuss with others how you balance researcher needs with good software practices? Or maybe you are the only person working on research software in your group?

If so, you might want to join us for RSAfrica26, the new Research Software(RS)conference, from the 25th to the 28th of August 2026. The theme for this year is “Research Software Without Borders”, and the hashtag will be #RSAfrica26.

Working with Research Software Asia Australia, Research Software Latinoamérica, and Equersa

We are thrilled to announce that we are working with two other conferences, the established Research Software Asia Australia (RSAA26) and the new Research Software Latinoamérica (RSLA26)!

We are creating a joint organising committee, while the co-chairs for each conference can still choose what happens at their event.

As part of this joint organising committee, we have created Equersa, an umbrella organisation to coordinate conferences and provide a unified front to global funders and stakeholders.

Key Dates (Tentative)

Item Open Close
Call for Presentations 30th March 1st May
Call for Accessibility Fellows 14th May 26th June
Notification of presentations 7th July —
Call for Session chairs ASAP 7th August
Call for Reviewers ASAP 15th May
Micro-grants 14th May 10th July
Scholarships 14th May 14th August
Early Bird Registrations 15th June 10th July
Standard Registrations 11th July 14th August
Conference 25th August 28th August (depending on conference)

Call for Presentations

The Call for Presentations (CFP) for the Research Software Africa Conference 2026 (RSAfrica26) will be announced soon. This year’s theme, “Research Software Without Borders”, focuses on fostering collaboration and engagement within the research software community.

For more details, please refer to the Call for Presentations document when available.

Call for Workshops

We invite proposals for workshops to be held on the first day of RSAfrica26 (Tuesday, 25th August 2026), focusing on interactive, skills-focused sessions that engage participants in hands-on learning, tool development, or collaborative discussions within the research software community.

Author Guidelines

Thank you for your interest in contributing to the Research Software Africa Conference 2026 (RSAfrica26). To ensure a smooth submission and presentation experience, please follow the guidelines provided in the Author Guidelines document.

Accessibility and Inclusivity

We are committed to creating a safe, accessible, and inclusive environment for all participants.

In 2022, Liz Hare provided a high-level accessibility report for the RSAA conference that we use as a benchmark for our performance.

To this end we are offering scholarships for staff or students to participate for free, as well as 10 accessibility micro-grants valued at $50 AUD to help with internet, headphones, childcare etc.

Eligibility for the scholarships will be based on prioritising and maximising the inclusion and participation of people who have been impacted due to the cumulative effects of discrimination on factors such as race, gender, disability, gender identity, financial status, and the intersectionality of that discrimination, as well as others not mentioned here.

Eligibility for the accessibility micro-grants will be based on a similar approach.

We encourage participants to apply even if they do not think they are eligible, as this will allow us to prioritise and maximise diversity and inclusion. All information will be treated in a confidential manner.

You will need to provide one short paragraph to explain how you will benefit from the scholarship or micro-grant.

All successful recipients of scholarships and accessible micro-grants are expected to submit a poster for the event.

If you feel that the conference is not matching up to the commitment of these ideals, please let us know by contacting the organising committee at info at rseaa.org.

You can also apply to be an Accessibility Fellow. The RSAA26 Accessibility Fellowship aims to encourage individuals with disabilities - such as those who are deaf, hard of hearing, blind, have low vision, or have other disabilities - from within our community or adjacent communities to join RSAA26. Their involvement will help ensure we are held accountable for the accessibility of this online event.

Organising Committee Members

  • Peculiar C. Umeh
  • Michael Umeokoli
  • Kim Martin
  • Maryblessing Okolie
  • Rowland Mosbergen
  • Ibimina Hart
  • Amina Ezznafry
  • Richard Dushime
  • Seun Olufemi
  • Wachiou Baouraima
  • Geoffrey Logovi
  • Ibsèn Bazie
  • Christopher Lubega
  • Ahmed Unshur
  • Tosan Okome
  • Bernard Solodzi

Want to sign up for updates?

Currently we are using the RSAA mailing list although we do have our own LinkedIn - Click here to sign up for the RSAA mailing list - Click here to follow us on LinkedIn

Code of Conduct

We will be using the Code of Conduct from RSE-AUNZ for RSAfrica26 at it is designed to provide all participants with community participation guidelines and create a safe space.

Contact Us

If you would like to know more or have any questions, please contact the organising committee at info@rseaa.org by email.

Sponsors

We thank the organizations that make this event possible

The Microsoft CMT service was used for managing the peer-reviewing process for this conference. This service was provided for free by Microsoft, and they bore all expenses, including costs for Azure cloud services as well as for software development and support.