The Technical University of Mombasa (TUM) library in Kenya has initiated a project to boost the operational and financial sustainability of the Multidisciplinary Journal of Technical University of Mombasa (MJTUM) by upgrading the management platform of the journal and building the capacity of the journal’s management and editorial teams. 

MJTUM is a Diamond open access journal published in English. The project will ensure that the MJTUM management platform is more robust, with improved features, functionality, and presentation of content. The project will also assist in building the capacity of the editorial team and the journal management team; help ensure sustainable human and financial resources management for MJTUM, and improve visibility and discoverability of the journal. MJTUM relies on the volunteer work of both the Chief Editor and the journal management team, who work without incentives or reduced workload and must prioritize their core responsibilities within the university. The project will explore ways of incentivizing the journal management team and also sensitize the university management on the need for sustainable and favorable terms of service for the journal management team. This will contribute to the long-term financial and operational sustainability of MJTUM by having the journal operation recognized and incorporated into the university’s policies and procedures. 

The ‘Enhancing the quality and sustainability of MJTUM’ project is one of 30 projects that have received grant support through a three-year project to strengthen no-fee open access publishing in Africa implemented by EIFL, AJOL (African Journals Online) and WACREN (the West and Central African Research and Education Network), with funding from Wellcome.

Activities

• Upgrading the journal’s OJS managing and publishing platform and moving all journal processes online.  
• Building technical capacity of TUM’s ICT team to update and maintain the OJS platform and building capacity of the Chief Editor and the journal management team to use OJS effectively.
• Training on indexing standards and requirements and registering the journal with recognized indices.
• Exploring ways of incentivizing the journal management team and sensitizing TUM management on the need for incentives for the journal management team.

Timeline

September 2025 - August 2026