Foundational Literacy and Numeracy Research in Sub-Saharan Africa – Collaboration, Impact and Publishing Inequalities
In this blog, which is part of NORRAG’s #TheSouthAlsoKnows blog series, Hélène Binesse explores how African researchers in the field of Foundational Literacy and Numeracy, amongst others, often depend on international collaboration to publish in high-impact journals. Drawing on these persistent inequalities in academic publishing, she reflects on how we, as researchers and practitioners in global education and development, can rethink our citation practices to foster greater inclusivity.
Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN) are crucial for lifelong learning and success, yet in sub-Saharan African (SSA), only one in five children reaches the minimum proficiency level in reading and numeracy by the end of primary education. The need for an evidence base was underscored at the 2022 Transforming Education Summit, which called on global policymakers to enhance FLN learning outcomes. Organisation and government-led initiatives are expanding FLN programmes, and while donor-funded research provides key evidence, local studies and researchers are essential for understanding and addressing context-specific challenges. What FLN research is available from SSA, and where can it be found?
Recognising the importance of African research, Education Sub Saharan Africa (ESSA), the REAL Centre at the University of Cambridge, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation mapped FLN research in SSA. This project aimed to spotlight often overlooked, policy-relevant studies by SSA-based researchers across international, Francophone and Lusophone databases. It also included in-depth searches of research outputs in four countries: Ghana, Kenya, Senegal and Tanzania. This blog focuses on FLN publications retrieved in international databases. More findings can be read in the summary and full report. All reports of the project can be found online.
A Growing Body of FLN Research, Yet Concentrated in Six Countries
Through the mapping, 536 publications were identified over the period 2015 to 2023. Figure 1 shows the growing interest in FLN research within SSA. This increase reflected the global emphasis on addressing challenges related to the quality of education.
What is important in Figure 1 is the green line highlighting the significant contribution of SSA-based researchers to this research domain. Indeed, more than two thirds of 536 FLN publications included an author based in SSA. Twenty-seven years ago, research identified that most research on educational issues in SSA was produced by researchers and consultants from the Global North. Figure 1 illustrates a shift towards publications including an SSA-based author in more recent times. Beginning with 28 publications co-authored by SSA researchers in 2015, the annual number doubled to 57 publications by 2023.
However, the total remains relatively modest. In addition, this body of research is concentrated within six countries – Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Tanzania and Malawi – contributing to 73 percent of the total publications identified. Kenya alone represented 16 percent of the total. Moreover, less than half of the FLN studies were funded, and where funding was available, it predominantly came from the USA and UK, with limited support from African governments.
Where are FLN Studies Published?
Most FLN publications were published in ‘higher impact’ journals, as measured by Scimago SJR index (≥ 0.4). However, a disparity in authorship is clear (Figure 2): nearly three quarters of publications by non-SSA authors were in higher impact journals, while half of SSA co-authored publications appeared in lower impact journals or were not measured. The latter may not be given the same level of credibility. Although the publications in these journals were more likely to be open access, they may still be overlooked and under-utilised.
The International Journal of Educational Development had the highest number of FLN-related publications, regardless of authorship. Other significant platforms for both SSA and non-SSA authors include Frontiers in Psychology and South African Journal of Childhood Education. Journals like Cogent Education, Revue Internationale d’Education de Sèvres (a Francophone journal not indexed in Scopus, Web of Science, or Dimensions) and Library Philosophy and Practice featured more work co-authored with SSA-based researchers.
What are the ‘Impactful’ FLN Publications?
Citation counts, retrieved in March 2024 from Scopus, Web of Science and Dimensions, provide a gauge of the academic impact and influence of research outputs. Among the most cited works, all were published in ‘higher impact’ journals (≥ 0.4), and 65 percent were open access. The most cited works authored by at least one SSA-based researcher typically involved collaborations with researchers from the Global North and often covered interdisciplinary topics, blending FLN with health issues. Among the top 10 publications involving at least one SSA-based author, Demewoz Haile, Dabere Nigatu, Ketema Gashaw and Habtamu Demelash’s health publication, was the only one co-authored exclusively by SSA-based researchers and funded by an internal institution – Madawalabu University in Ethiopia (see the report for the full list).
Out of the 148 publications authored by at least one SSA-based researcher in higher impact journals, two African journals were included: African Development Review and African Journal of Disability. Only one publication was in French, published in African Development Review. Notably, nearly two thirds of these publications involved collaboration with researchers from the Global North, and 76 percent were funded. For the 57 publications without international collaboration, only 24 were funded, and just 9 received African funding (internal institutions or government funding). This highlights that African researchers often rely on international partnerships to publish in higher impact journals.
Towards a Fairer and More Inclusive Research Environment
As this analysis and other studies highlight, researchers from SSA face significant challenges to publishing in high impact journals, often requiring international collaboration for visibility. The academic publishing system, dominated by a few Global North-based publishers, perpetuates inequalities in access and authorship, with many journals still too often locked behind paywalls, despite efforts to waive the exorbitant fees for low-income countries. Addressing these disparities requires political action and systemic changes within the academic publishing industry.
While organisations like the International Network for the Availability of Scientific Publications (INASP) uses the G20 summits to move toward a shift, transformative approaches are also emerging to counter the dominance of the “Eurocentric, capitalist, and prestige-driven” academic publishing model through findable, accessible, interoperable and re-usable (FAIR) principles of Open Access. The Journal of Community System for Health, a network of researchers from South Africa, Sweden, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia, seeks to empower researchers and create more inclusive, collaborative spaces for knowledge production.
As individual researchers and practitioners, we too can play a role in fostering a more equitable research landscape. Reflecting on our citation practices, for example, can elevate underrepresented voices. Aurélie Carlier, Hang Nguyen, Lidwien Hollanders, Nicole Basaraba, Sally Wyatt and Sharon Anyango’s recommendations for amplifying female scholars’ work can be applied to marginalised academic communities, including African researchers. We should also strive to engage with and cite research in languages other than English, whenever possible. Tools like the African Education Research Database are instrumental in facilitating access to SSA-based research. By making intentional, responsible choices in our referencing practices, we can contribute to broadening the visibility of African scholarship and fostering equity in the global research community.
The Author:
Hélène Binesse is Research Associate at the Research for Equitable Access and Learning (REAL) Centre, University of Cambridge.