Promoting Ethics and Integrity in African Research and Innovation

To build trustworthy science systems in Africa, the Science Granting Councils Initiative (SGCI) and The Scinnovent Centre have released a comprehensive paper. Authored by African experts in research ethics, the paper explores how Science Granting Councils (SGCs) can lead efforts to ensure research is conducted responsibly and ethically across the continent.

Why Ethics and Integrity Matter

Research and innovation are key to Africa’s development. However, without ethics and integrity, research can harm individuals, misuse resources, and erode public trust. This paper argues that African SGCs must play a central role in setting ethical standards and supporting responsible research practices.

Key Areas Covered

The paper identifies significant challenges, shares examples, and offers recommendations. It highlights:

• Ethics: The need to protect human and animal participants, the environment, and vulnerable groups in research.
• Integrity: The importance of honesty, transparency, and accountability in all stages of research.
• Gender and inclusion: Addressing the underrepresentation of women and minorities in science.
• Rapid response: Ensuring ethical reviews during public health emergencies like COVID-19.

Recommendations for SGCs

To improve ethics and integrity, the report calls on African SGCs to:

• Develop or revise national research policies.
• Require ethics approval before funding projects.
• Train researchers and ethics committee members.
• Promote gender equity and inclusion of minorities.
• Establish research integrity officers and clear misconduct procedures.

Building Sustainable Systems for the Future

To ensure long-term progress, the paper emphasizes the need for sustainable structures that support ethics and integrity. This includes investing in digital tools for online ethics reviews, harmonizing procedures across countries, and fostering regional collaboration.

By creating shared platforms and networks, SGCs can exchange knowledge, build collective capacity, and respond faster to emerging ethical challenges.

Learning from Others

The report includes case studies and international best practices—from countries like South Africa and Nigeria—to help African SGCs adapt global standards on ethics and integrity to local realities.