Why We Exist
Across Africa, developers build powerful solutions, maintainers sustain critical tools, researchers produce policy evidence, advocates raise awareness, educators train the next generation, and community builders coordinate ecosystems. World-class work, happening every day. But without visibility, it can't influence policy, attract support, or inspire others.
Meanwhile, African governments and institutions often default to expensive proprietary systems — not because open alternatives don't exist, and not because the talent doesn't exist, but because nobody knows they do.
When the African Union discusses digital infrastructure policy, who represents the open source community? When governments procure software, do they know African alternatives exist? When international standards bodies make decisions, where is Africa's voice?
ODSI exists to answer those questions — by building the visibility infrastructure that connects African open source talent and projects to the policy conversations that shape our digital future. We document what exists, recognize who's building it, advocate for what's possible, and build the networks that turn isolated efforts into a continental movement.
Our deeper goal is that Africa, its governments, institutions, and people, should own and control its own digital destiny: the software it runs, the data it holds, the infrastructure it depends on, rather than defaulting to foreign proprietary systems it cannot see into, control, or shape. Open source is the route to that sovereignty, because you can own, audit, adapt, and govern what is open. Visibility is the first step, because you cannot build sovereignty on an ecosystem you cannot even see. And policy is where sovereignty is secured, or lost.
Visibility → a strong open source ecosystem → digital sovereignty for Africa.
What We Do
Build the Directory
A comprehensive, policy-connected catalog of African open source — the projects being built and the people building them. Every verified entry is evidence that Africa builds world-class open technology and has the talent to match.
Advocate for Policy
We represent African open source interests where decisions are made — with governments, the African Union, regional bodies, and international forums. The directory isn't just a catalog; it's the evidence we bring to the table.
Connect the Ecosystem
We build relationships across the open source ecosystem — connecting developers with maintainers, advocates with policymakers, educators with institutions — so the people doing the work are in the same room as the people making the decisions.
GitHub shows the code.
LinkedIn shows the people.
Neither connects to the rooms where policy is decided.
That's what ODSI does. A directory becomes evidence. Evidence becomes leverage. Leverage shapes policy.
We're not just a catalog — we're advocacy infrastructure that turns projects and profiles into evidence for digital sovereignty.
Sovereignty Through Openness
Digital sovereignty means different things in different contexts. Some interpret it as digital protectionism — building walls to keep foreign technology out.
We believe in sovereignty through openness. True independence comes not from isolation, but from building and controlling open infrastructure that no single vendor can lock down or shut off. Open source gives Africa the power to inspect, modify, and govern the technology running our critical systems.
When African institutions adopt open source, they're not just saving licensing fees — they're choosing technological self-determination. Ensuring a foreign company's business decisions can't suddenly compromise national infrastructure. And investing in local talent and capacity that stays on the continent.
Open source policy has too often been designed for Africa without meaningful participation from the people building, maintaining, and using open technologies across the continent. ODSI exists to change that. We represent African interests in global conversations while helping governments develop open source strategies alongside their own developer communities, researchers, educators, and ecosystem leaders. We believe policy should be built with the people it affects—not merely for them.
What Success Looks Like
Not abstract goals — concrete outcomes we're working toward.
An African Union policy cites our directory as evidence of continental open source capacity — and allocates procurement budget accordingly.
A developer in Kigali connects with an advocate in Lagos through our directory, creating opportunities neither could have found alone.
An institution discovers and hires African open source talent through our directory — talent they didn't know existed.
Every project documented, every person recognized, moves us closer to these outcomes. The directory is how it starts — but it's not where it ends.
Get Involved
The directory grows stronger with every addition. Here's how different people can contribute:
Developers & Maintainers
Submit your projects and add your profile. Your work deserves to be seen — and documented as part of Africa's open source record.
Contributors & Advocates
Add your profile to the directory. Every advocate and community organizer recognized adds depth to the picture of African open source.
Policymakers & Governments
Use the directory as your starting point for open source procurement and digital strategy. Contact us to discuss how we can support your policy development process.
Institutions & Partners
Partner with us to advance open source adoption across the continent. Whether you're a foundation, university, or NGO — reach out to explore how we can work together.
