For two decades NBA has worked across developing countries at all levels of education, at the intersection of research and practical delivery.

Despite the best policy efforts, education systems have often been characterized by closed knowledge systems, narrow conceptions of success and achievement, and a failure to fully empower teachers as facilitators of learning. Our recently published paper argues that, although these issues may have multiple causes, a critical problem is that many education systems are inhibited by complex policy environments that inadvertently encumber meaningful learning and generate educational closure.

In August 2023, the African Library and Information Associations and Institutions and Neil Butcher & Associates (NBA) co-published an Overview for African Librarians on the UNESCO OER Recommendation and Open Knowledge. A William and Flora Hewlett Foundation grant to NBA funded the research and writing entailed in producing the Overview.