On 3 May, the IP Unit, together with Southern African Regional Universities Association (SARUA), the Magna Charta Observatory and UNESCO, organised a Leadership Dialogue at the Cape Town International Convention Centre on the future of Open Access publishing of African scholarly research against the backdrop of global shifts in how Open Access is applied. By evaluating what is happening in regions such as Latin America and Europe and reflecting on the values underpinning Open Access publishing, higher education decision-makers had the opportunity to contribute to an initial position on how Africa and its sub-regions should address research publishing. The timing of the event was ideal, since the global debate is shifting to less dogmatic ways of interpreting Open Access. The event provided African higher education stakeholders with a unique opportunity to shape this debate globally and for the African continent. This half-day event was an ideal pre-conference event for Vice-Chancellors and senior higher education decision makers attending the 2016 Going Global Conference at the International Convention Centre in Cape Town. The programme for the event is available here.