Localising Education Research in Africa for Equity and Inclusion
Education research across Africa continues to be shaped by donor-driven agendas, Western ideas, and inequitable partnerships. This often sidelines African knowledge systems and voices, limiting the potential of research to address local education priorities and contexts.
Localising Education Research in Africa for Equity and Inclusion is a collaborative project led by the African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC) and Education Sub Saharan Africa (ESSA). This project seeks to strengthen how education research is produced, used, and valued across Africa.
The project will generate evidence and practical recommendations for advancing policy-oriented education research in Africa that is more equitable, inclusive, and grounded in local realities by integrating a systematic desk review and empirical evidence approaches.
Specifically, the project will:
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Investigate how colonial legacies shape knowledge production and identify the reforms needed to build equitable and locally owned research systems.
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Identify promising practices that promote equitable and decolonial policy-oriented education research in sub-Saharan Africa.
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Examine the barriers that constrain inclusive, equitable, and gender-responsive research practices, and propose strategies to overcome them.
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Identify governance and funding arrangements, including the role of Local Education Groups (LEGs) in shaping research agendas.
This project draws on data from a desk review and from researchers, policymakers, funders, and community members from Kenya, Mozambique, and Senegal to explore how education research can be done differently—placing African voices and experiences at the centre.
WEBINAR: From Evidence to Action
On 26th May 2026, ESSA and the African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC) convened a continental dialogue to explore practical pathways for building stronger, African-led research systems that advance equity and inclusion.
This webinar brought together researchers, policymakers, practitioners, funders, and education stakeholders to explore what it means to localise education research in Africa. We also shared key findings from recent evidence synthesis by ESSA and APHRC, alongside country-level experiences.
This webinar was organised with support from the International Development Research Centre (IDRC).
Partners
The African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC) is a premier research-to-policy institution, generating evidence, strengthening research and related capacity in the African Research and Development (R&D) ecosystem, and engaging policy to inform action on health and development.
We are collaborating with APHRC on the Localising Education Research in Africa for Equity and Inclusion project.
As part of Canada’s foreign affairs and development efforts, the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) champions and funds research and innovation within and alongside developing regions to drive global change.
IDRC is supporting us on the Unlocking Data initiative, the African Edtech Research Impact Project and the Localising Education Research in Africa for Equity and Inclusion project.