The only way to play the game is to change the rules; the RSSE Africa journey

Abstract

This upload contains the following files: Slides: Changing the rules - 25Aug2026 - slides.pdf The original, image-dense presentation Narrative / approximate transcript: Changing the rules - 25Aug2026 - approximate transcript.pdf Provides the spoken narrative and context that is not evident from the slides alone Level 3 accessibility companion: Changing the rules - 25Aug2026 - level 3 accessibility companion.mhtml Created following the Equersa accessible-presentation guidelines to make the visual content accessible to visually impaired readers. Resource sheet: Changing the rules - 25 Aug2026 - resource sheet.pdf Collects useful resources, events, communities, projects, and other references mentioned during the presentation that are not necessarily linked from the slides themselves. Abstract This keynote reflects on the history of RSSE Africa, what the community has built, and the lessons learned from what worked, what did not, and why. It considers how research software communities in Africa can move from short-term activity to long-term impact through sustainable research software practices and software-creating communities. Looking ahead, the talk argues that visibility, advocacy, and diplomacy will be at least as important in the trajectory of African research software as the technical activity of writing code, especially as research software becomes increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence. About the Conference Equersa fosters true global knowledge sharing and collaboration in research software by creating equitable environments for Research Software Engineers. Equersa supports conferences by creating a joint organising committee and providing opportunities for volunteers to improve their skills, raise their profile, and work in a safe space. Supported Conferences in : Research Software Africa (RSAfrica) Research Software Latinoamérica (RSLA) Research Software Asia Australia (RSAA) Speaker Bios Anelda van der Walt is a Senior eResearch Analyst at the University of Cape Town, where her work focuses on research software, digital research infrastructure, open science, and institutional support for digitally enabled research. She is also the founder of Talarify and co-leads the Research Software and Systems Africa community (RSSE Africa). Anelda has a background in Bioinformatics and brings a systems-oriented perspective to the people, practices, policies, and technologies that enable modern research. Her work includes developing research software support programmes, designing professional development initiatives, and contributing to national and international discussions on the recognition, sustainability, and governance of research software. She is pursuing a PhD in Information Science at the University of Pretoria, examining how research software is understood, categorised, and supported within the South African research system. She is actively involved in capacity-building and community development across Africa, connecting researchers, software practitioners, institutions, and infrastructure providers through training, strategy, advocacy, and community building. Peter van Heusden is a bioinformatician and researcher at the South African National Bioinformatics Institute (SANBI) at the University of the Western Cape, where his work focuses on pathogen genomics and bioinformatics workflows. With a background in scientific systems administration, he brings an infrastructure-oriented perspective to bioinformatics, leading initiatives to develop reproducible computational tools and training programmes, particularly in support of infectious disease research, such as tuberculosis and emerging outbreaks. He is actively involved in capacity-building across Africa, contributes to open science and the Galaxy bioinformatics community, and combines research with teaching in areas such as Python, genomics, and scientific computing.