True progress and innovation arise from the fusion of different viewpoints, and this fusion only becomes possible within a deliberately inclusive environment in which voices that have historically been marginalized or underrepresented are not just heard, but celebrated.

The program aims to eventually span the entire continent of Africa and offer applications and applicant support in four languages: English, French, Arabic, and Portuguese. Our partnerships with Ubuntunet, the Association of African Universities, the Réseau francophone numérique (RFN)-AISBL and the HBCU Library Alliance enable us to recruit input, applications, and advisory committee members from a geographically and academically diverse constituency. Drawing on lessons learned from CLIR's administration of the Digitizing Hidden Collections: Amplifying Unheard Voices program, program, we will provide an accessible application process and ongoing grantee support to ensure that less-resourced organizations can succeed. Grant applicants will be invited to share how creating online access to their collections will make possible a richer and more complete understanding of the human experience.

An inclusive environment relies on sustaining relationships rooted in trust, respect, and shared goals. Healthy partnerships require that each partner's expectations, contributions, and benefits are articulated clearly, acknowledged openly, and revisited regularly.

The Hidden Collections Africa program's design and implementation will be led by our African partners and guided by the needs of our African grantees. Applications will be reviewed by a committee comprising a broad range of African scholars and subject experts. Digitized content will be processed locally and be hosted on the African continent. Grant applicants will be encouraged to build networks of mutual support through partnerships, rather than duplicate the efforts of others unnecessarily.

Sustainable infrastructures require that any approach to the development of technologies or systems be rooted in a responsibility to the environment, society, and the global community. We prioritize strategies that can realistically be maintained over time and that minimize negative impacts on limited natural, economic, or socio-cultural resources.

The program will incorporate training, skill building, and capacity investments for applicants, recipients, and partner organizations. The goal is to leave our grantees equipped to continue the work of preserving, describing, and sharing African scholarship within Africa and around the world. Initially, the program's technical needs will be overseen by UbuntuNet, a membership organization of National Research and Education Networks (NRENs) in Southern and Eastern Africa.

Every individual, regardless of background or circumstance, should have the opportunity to engage with resources that empower, educate, and elevate them specifically. Different cultures, groups, and individuals will naturally have different needs and constraints with respect to gaining and permitting access. Access strategies and solutions must therefore reflect the diverse needs and aspirations of communities, centering digital inclusion and respect for the local contexts of cultural heritage.

Our highest priority is to ensure that Africa's cultural and scientific heritage remains on the African continent and is owned and administered by African institutions. We will encourage applicants to engage communities with their collections, particularly the communities represented in the collections, through ongoing consultation, public events, exhibits, or social media as well as through providing access through searchable repositories. Grantees' strategies for description, access, and programming will be grounded in a solid understanding of the needs of all potential users, including those with personal ties to online content.