Localising Education Research in Africa: From Evidence to Equitable Action

Across Africa, a quiet but important shift is reshaping education research. The focus is expanding from what evidence says to who produces that evidence, whose voices are heard, and whose realities shape solutions. This shift reflects growing attention to how knowledge is created, valued, and used within education systems. These questions were at the centre of the webinar Localising Education Research in Africa for Equity and Inclusion: From Evidence to Action, hosted by the African Population and Health Research Centre (APHRC) in partnership with ESSA, with support from the International Development Research Centre (IDRC). The conversation brought together 211 participants, including researchers, policymakers, funders, and practitioners from across Africa and beyond. 

A key message from the discussion was that education research is shaped by who sets priorities, who funds it, and whose knowledge is considered credible. From a systems perspective, this reflects how knowledge systems are designed and how they influence education policy and practice. 

Who sets the agenda matters 

Agenda-setting determines which problems receive attention and how they are framed. When teachers, communities, and policymakers are involved in defining research questions, both the questions and the resulting solutions become more grounded in lived realities. 

Dr Moses Ngware of APHRC emphasised that research begins from local realities. When people define the challenges they face, the resulting evidence becomes more relevant and useful for decision-making. This reflects the core of localisation: moving from research done about Africa, to research done with Africa, and increasingly, research led from within Africa. 

Structural imbalances remain evident. Africa represents about 18% of the global population but produces less than 2% of global research output, according to UNESCO estimates. Investment in research and development also remains low at around 0.4% of GDP, compared to the African Union target of 1%. These figures highlight how knowledge production about Africa continues to be concentrated outside the continent. 

Funding and research priorities 

Funding patterns play a significant role in determining research priorities. Around 70% of research funding in Africa comes from external partners. While this support has strengthened research capacity, it also influences the types of questions that receive attention, often aligning them with global trends rather than locally defined priorities. 

Stephen Acquah of ESSA noted that externally driven funding cycles can shift focus away from urgent local concerns. He also highlighted how Global North epistemologies are often treated as the default framework for understanding African challenges, even though African knowledge systems remain equally valid and relevant. 

Language further shapes access to knowledge. Around 94% of African academic journals publish in English, which limits accessibility for many researchers and communities. In addition, academic reward systems tend to prioritise publication in internationally indexed journals, which can overshadow locally grounded research published in regional outlets. 

Structural pressures in the system 

Research systems in Africa are also shaped by broader structural pressures. An estimated 20,000 African researchers leave the continent each year, affecting long-term institutional capacity and continuity in knowledge production. 

Partnership structures further influence how knowledge is created and owned. Some research conducted in Africa is designed externally, with limited shared decision-making or authorship. Gender inequality also affects participation, particularly for early-career women researchers who often carry heavier teaching and caregiving responsibilities while having fewer opportunities for mentorship and advancement. These patterns reflect how research systems are structured, including how work is funded, recognised, and rewarded. 

What change looks like in practice 

Panel discussions moderated by Dr Leila Abdullahi of ESSA highlighted several pathways for strengthening research systems. In the panel, Professor Jackline Nyerere of Kenyatta University emphasised confidence in African knowledge systems and encouraged greater recognition of locally generated knowledge as valid. 

On the other hand, Professor Hellen Inyega of the University of Nairobi focused on collaboration and communication, highlighting the importance of sharing research in ways that policymakers and communities can understand and use. She also underscored mentorship as a critical foundation for building stronger research ecosystems.  

Professor Paschal Kum Awah of University of Yaoundé I, Cameroon focused on research use, stressing the importance of systems that ensure evidence informs policy and practice through structured tracking and accountability. 

Early-career researchers also highlighted the importance of collaboration in strengthening African research systems. Dr Bruno Youssou Ndour of Université Gaston Berger, Senegal emphasised that meaningful localisation requires stronger collaboration across institutions, countries, and disciplines to support shared learning, reduce fragmentation, and amplify African voices in global knowledge production. 

Similarly, Dr Florescêncio Tumbo from the Ministry of Education and Human Development, Mozambique, underscored the value of collaborative networks and communities of practice in creating opportunities for mentorship, peer learning, and collective problem-solving. He noted that sustainable research ecosystems are built not only through funding and infrastructure, but also through relationships that enable researchers to learn from one another and co-create locally relevant solutions. These reflections highlighted that localisation includes both the production of knowledge and its practical application. 

Ground realities from communities

Insights from Kenya brought lived experience into sharper focus. Dr Amani Karisa from APHRC described how research priorities can sometimes diverge from community needs. He shared an example where researchers focus on mosquitoes while communities are dealing with elephants destroying crops, illustrating the gap between academic priorities and everyday realities. 

He highlighted three key realities. Research agendas are often set far from the communities they affect. Local knowledge is frequently undervalued in formal systems of evidence. Expertise is often defined narrowly, excluding teachers, caregivers, learners, and community leaders who hold critical and practical knowledge. He also emphasised the importance of “third spaces” where academic and community knowledge meet. These spaces strengthen the relevance of research and ensure it reflects real-world conditions. 

Toward a more balanced system 

Four directions for strengthening research systems emerged from the discussion. Fairness in knowledge requires recognition of African epistemologies, including frameworks such as Ubuntu, as valid systems of understanding. Inclusion through language requires expanding the use of African languages in research and communication to improve accessibility and ownership of knowledge. 

Sustainable investment requires stronger domestic funding to reduce dependence on external priorities and build long-term research capacity. Fair collaboration requires shared decision-making, shared authorship, and stronger support for early-career researchers, particularly women. 

From evidence to action 

The discussion highlighted how system design influences how evidence is used. For policymakers, aligning investment with commitments such as the African Union target of 1% of GDP for research and development strengthens national ownership of research systems. For universities, expanding recognition systems to value community-engaged and locally relevant research alongside international publication supports more inclusive knowledge production. For funders, longer-term partnerships aligned with African-led priorities contribute to greater sustainability. For researchers, closer collaboration with communities strengthens both relevance and trust in evidence. 

Across the continent, new approaches are emerging, including community-based research, multilingual communication, flexible funding models, and growing efforts to decolonise knowledge systems. These approaches are increasingly shaping how research is conducted and used in different contexts. 

Who defines knowledge matters

Africa holds rich and diverse knowledge within communities, classrooms, and everyday experiences. Strengthening systems that recognise and use this knowledge support more relevant, inclusive, and effective education research. Localising education research strengthens how knowledge is created, shared, and applied. It draws attention to how systems shape what counts as evidence and how that evidence informs education outcomes across the continent. 

Realising this shift requires deliberate action across the system. Turning evidence into equitable action requires deliberate choices. Policymakers can prioritise domestic investment in research and align it with national needs. Funders can shift toward long-term, flexible support for African-led agendas. Universities can recognise and reward locally relevant and community-engaged research. Researchers can deepen collaboration with communities and across the continent. Progress will depend on how these actions come together to reshape systems that determine whose knowledge counts and how it is used.