In a knowledge economy driven by data and discovery, the ethical foundations of research are more vital than ever. Nowhere is this more critical than in the Global South, where historical imbalances continue to shape research practices and partnerships. In a thought-provoking learning session facilitated as part of PACKS Africa’s Corporate Evidence Leader Mentorship Programme (CEL-MP), Dr. Michael Head, a Senior Global Health researcher at the University of Southampton, with longstanding collaborations in Ghana, challenged mentees to rethink the ethics of research from a people-centred, equity-driven perspective.
Dr. Head’s session, titled “Ethics in Research: A Complex Picture,” opened with a sobering account of the Andrew Wakefield scandal. In 1998, Wakefield published a now-debunked study falsely linking MMR vaccine to autism. His unethical research methods, including recruiting children at a birthday party and falsifying clinical data triggered widespread vaccine hesitancy and public health setbacks that linger to this day. The scandal, though rooted in the UK, carries vital lessons for Africa. It demonstrates how unethical science, left unchecked, can endanger lives and erode trust in health systems.
This backdrop provided a compelling contrast to Dr. Head’s main argument: ethical research must be rooted in transparency, community ownership, and fairness, particularly when it is conducted in low- and middle-income countries. He highlighted a powerful local case study from PACKS Africa and its partners’ SEED project in Karaga, Northern Ghana, where researchers prioritised community engagement by securing both traditional and institutional approval. This meant consulting with chiefs, collaborating with local NGOs such as Songtaba, and ensuring that women often underrepresented in formal processes, were actively involved in shaping the research agenda.
What emerged from this example was a clear message: ethical research in Africa cannot be reduced to bureaucratic compliance. It must reflect cultural respect, genuine collaboration, and a commitment to building trust over time. As Africa continues to grow as a hub for global development research, the SEED model offers a blueprint for how to conduct research that not only extracts data but contributes meaningfully to the communities involved.
Beyond ethics at the field level, Dr. Head addressed a more systemic issue: inequities in authorship and recognition. He criticised the common practice where prestigious authorship positions – typically first and last authors are monopolized by researchers from high-income countries (HICs), even when the work is carried out in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Citing a 2023 paper where nearly all top authors were based in the UK despite the research taking place in an LMIC, Dr. Head called for a fundamental shift in how academic credit is distributed. For young African researchers, this message is crucial. Local scholars must be empowered to claim authorship, influence project design, and speak up when side-lined in international collaborations.
Dr. Head did not spare institutions and funders in his critique. He called for reforms in grant financing, noting the common but unfair practice of expecting LMIC partners to fund research activities upfront while awaiting reimbursement. This approach, echoed in an earlier published paper, not only burdens resource-constrained institutions but also signals mistrust. As a solution, he highlighted models like the UK Medical Research Foundation, which disburses funds to LMIC partners in advance, building trust and ensuring smoother operations. Similarly, he advocated for changing promotion criteria in universities to reward ethical collaboration and capacity building, not just high-impact publications.
These points resonate deeply within Africa’s current research ecosystem. While African institutions have made significant strides in producing homegrown evidence for policy, there remains a pressing need to shift the culture from extractivism to equity. This involves challenging partners to practice the values they preach and ensuring that African researchers, institutions, and communities assert their rights in these collaborations.
In concluding his presentation, Dr. Head evoked the words of Ghana’s first President, Kwame Nkrumah: “We face neither East nor West; we face forward.” In the context of global research, this call to action could not be timelier. Facing forward means refusing to be passive participants in research conducted on African soil. It means demanding a seat at the table – not as token collaborators, but as equal partners.
As the CEL-MP programme cultivates Africa’s next generation of evidence leaders, Dr. Head’s insights serve as both a guide and a challenge. The future of research in Africa must be defined not only by its technical excellence but by its ethical clarity. To build a society grounded in justice, innovation, and dignity, we must ensure that research conducted in Africa is not only for Africa, but truly with Africa.
