As part of the endeavor to Build Mekelle University Better Back, a consultative meeting was held to focus on modernizing Mekelle University (MU) journals. This meeting brought together volunteer DataCite Ambassador Mr. T. Weyni Geday, MU journal editors, heads of College/Institute Research and Community Engagement, senior researchers, and ICT experts. The primary goal was to address the challenges associated with modernizing our journals and to explore innovative solutions that enhance accessibility, efficiency, and scholarly communication.

The meeting began with opening remarks from Dr. Eyasu Yazew, MU Vice President for Research and Community Engagement (VPRCE), followed by a video message from Olatunbosun Obileye, Africa DataCite Regional Engagement Specialist. Mr. T. Weyni Geday then presented on several key topics:
- Strategies to boost research impact and enhance journal indexing in Google Scholar, PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus
- Developing open-access policies and infrastructure
- The role of persistent identifiers (DOIs) for research products
The consultative meeting represented a significant step toward enhancing the efficiency and accessibility of our journals. Participants expressed optimism about the collaborative efforts to implement the discussed strategies and look forward to ongoing dialogues on similar topics.