New Research Calls for Stronger Investment in Early Childhood Development Across Africa
A new series of policy briefs, published by Education Sub Saharan Africa (ESSA) and the Research for Equitable Access and Learning (REAL) Centre at the University of Cambridge, reveal important gaps in Early Childhood Development (ECD) research across Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.
This research, funded by Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, highlights the opportunity for increased local investment, more inclusive research and stronger collaboration to improve education outcomes for children aged 0-8.
Key findings across the four countries:
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Under-researched ECD areas: Education, play and responsive caregiving remain underrepresented in research outputs. Health and nutrition dominate across all four countries.
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Funding challenges: While a significant portion of ECD research is funded in Tanzania and Uganda, the majority still comes from international organisations and philanthropic organisations. Local institutions and government funding is consistently low across the countries.
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Gender and authorship: Research authorships showed persistent gender disparities in Ghana, Tanzania and Uganda. Encouragingly, Kenya demonstrated near gender parity, with a slight female majority (52% in outputs from local sources, and 50% in outputs from international databases).
Recommendations include:
Government
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Increase funding for ECD research.
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Develop online repositories to improve visibility and accessibility of local ECD research.
NGOs and funders
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Use funding mechanisms to promote South–South research collaborations.
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Prioritise studies on under-researched areas like education, play, and responsive caregiving.
ECD researchers and higher education institutions
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Disclose funding information to improve transparency.
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Provide targeted support for female and early-career researchers.
These findings highlight the opportunity to build more locally relevant, inclusive, and well-funded research that can inform policies and strengthen the learning outcomes for young children across sub-Saharan Africa.
We invite you to read the policy briefs to learn more about the findings and recommendations.
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