Research capacity and decolonisation in Sub-Saharan Africa: a bibliometric analysis

Area of Science:

• Global Health
• Bibliometrics
• Research Capacity Building

Background:

• Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) faces a high disease burden but has low research productivity and impact.
• Strengthening research capacity in SSA is critical to address health disparities and needs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a macro-level bibliometric analysis of research capacity, thematic alignment, and structural autonomy in SSA.
• To assess the role of international collaboration and its impact on research leadership and health priorities in SSA.

Main Methods:

• Bibliometric analysis of research output, citations, and authorship patterns in SSA.
• Burden-Adjusted Research Intensity analysis to evaluate research focus alignment with health needs.

Main Results:

• SSA accounts for 15% of the global population and 21% of the disease burden, but only 2.7% of global citations.
• International collaborations correlate with higher research impact but also with reduced SSA researcher leadership.
• Research is disproportionately concentrated on HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria, neglecting other high-burden diseases.

Conclusions:

• SSA exhibits persistent academic dependency and misaligned research priorities, limiting local leadership and effective health responses.
• Structural inequities in global research collaborations and funding hinder local ownership and capacity development.
• Decolonizing research requires equitable partnerships, reformed funding, and sustained investment in local research leadership.