Abr 28, 2026 |
A new study by two Mozambican researchers from Lúrio University argues that the low salaries of African researchers are limiting local scientific output.
The research, conducted by Harith Farooq and Isildo de N. Nganhane, academics at the Faculty of Natural Sciences at UniLúrio, based in Pemba, reflects on a possible structural barrier that may be overlooked: despite the continent harbouring incalculable natural wealth, African nations contribute less than one per cent of global scientific output.
This discrepancy is now largely explained by financial disparities. The article, published in the scientific journal Conservation Biology , analyses bibliometric databases dating back to the year 2000 and compares the output of biology professionals based in fifty-four African nations with that of their foreign counterparts.
The results demonstrate, according to these researchers, that the pay gap is a strong indicator of a decline in national productivity. As the pay gap widens, the volume of local-led literary and scientific publications decreases dramatically, giving way to work dominated by external affiliations.
According to the study sent to KAMBAKU, field data collection for biodiversity research is an inherently costly activity. It requires transport to remote areas, collection equipment, food and the payment of permits. The paper estimates a conservative figure of one thousand US dollars for a short expedition.
However, the Mozambican researchers argue that in half of the countries assessed, local biologists would be unable to cover this expense even if they invested their entire monthly salary. In contrast, scientists from other regions of the world retain sufficient disposable income to fund their own high-quality fieldwork, even after deducting the costs of intercontinental flights.
The case of Malawi is cited as the extreme example of this reality, where foreign academics earn as much as thirty-four times more than their local counterparts. The fact that African researchers face various difficulties in meeting basic needs prevents them from taking a leading role in conservation projects.
As the authors note in the study, “these disparities perpetuate dependence on foreign institutions, restrict local research capacity and limit Africa’s ability to address its specific conservation challenges.
“Tackling wage inequality is essential to strengthening local research capacity and ensuring more equitable contributions to global biodiversity science, especially given the rapid global decline in biodiversity,” they argue.
The researchers argue that governments in Sub-Saharan Africa allocate, on average, just 0.4 per cent of Gross Domestic Product to science and that without concerted action to review the financial remuneration of these staff, talent will continue to be forced to seek alternative sources of income or leave the field, leaving knowledge of African biodiversity predominantly dependent on agendas external to the continent.
Photo: Anthony Ochieng/Wildlife Conservation Network
