African Leaders Must Show Commitment to R&D funding

This particular research project highlights the sorry state of state funding for research in Africa. This project is aimed at investigating the "effect of sea level rise on groundwater quality and septic system performance in Cape Coast”. This project will be funded by the National Science Foundation (NFC) of the US. The targeted participants may be graduates or undergraduates. The most important eligibility Must be a US Citizen, US National, or permanent resident.

Questions

1. Should we be waiting for the US to come and conduct research to tell us the consequences of sea level rise on groundwater?
2. Aren’t there graduates or undergraduate students at UCC who can equally conduct this investigation?
3. Why isn’t the project eligibility criteria flexible enough to include non-US citizens, especially those who are neither permanent residents nor US nationals?
4. Whose interests will the findings serve?
5. How much funding do African governments provide for research relating to challenges in their respective countries?

I am happy about this project, but I think for basic projects like this, our own governments must be interested in funding. How do we propose or develop home-based solutions to our domestic problems and challenges if our African governments are not in a position to fund research?

There’s a research article published in 2019 in the BMJ Global Health Journal by Simpkin et al. 2019 about investment in research and development (R&D) in 25 selected countries in Africa. These findings showed that, as of 2015, only 3 of the 25 African countries had their governments providing total funding for health research. The three countries were Madagascar 🇲🇬, DRC, and Cape Verde 🇨🇻. In some of the 25 selected African countries, nearly 80% of health research is funded by foreign donors.

He who pays the piper calls the tune.
African leaders must show real commitment to the funding of R&D tailored to their local needs and interests rather than waiting for foreign donors.

The famous Agenda 2063, “The Africa We Want,” will be a mirage unless African governments are ready and willing to commit resources and funds for developmental research projects by themselves on the continent. In today’s competitive world, no country can develop without paying serious attention to scientific research. The earlier African leaders realize that, the better. The continent has brilliant people with smart ideas, but lack of funding is the biggest obstacle.

Baba Musah PhD
[email protected]