Full Report - English | French
Summary:
Why does Africa contribute less than 3% of global social science publications, and how can Benin contribute to reversing this trend? The Doing Research in Benin - Country Report provides a systemic analysis of the nation’s capacity to produce, diffuse, and utilise scholarly knowledge for sustainable development.
While Benin has achieved notable economic growth, its social science research remains marginalised, fragmented, and heavily dependent on international resources. With an average annual public expenditure of only €606.12 per social science researcher, the system faces critical hurdles, including under-resourced infrastructure and a tenuous link between scholars and policymakers.
To bridge this gap, the report identifies five transformative recommendations to strengthen the research ecosystem:
- Establish National Governance: Creating a dedicated national institution to ensure system-wide coordination and align research priorities with local developmental needs.
- Dedicated Infrastructure Funding: Launching a national fund to modernise laboratories, libraries, and digital connectivity, essential tools for high-quality scientific inquiry.
- Targeted Capacity Building: Implementing training schemes that go beyond academic publishing to focus on scientific outreach and communication for non-specialist audiences.
- Incentivise Local Outreach: Introducing frameworks that reward researchers for social impact, such as producing policy briefs and engaging with traditional media.
- Institutionalise Mentorship: Formalising mentorship for early-career scholars and women (who currently represent only 15% of researchers) to ensure a sustainable and inclusive professional pipeline.
This publication is an essential resource for policymakers, donors, and academics committed to transforming Benin’s research from a marginalised activity into a pivotal catalyst for national development.
Authors: African Center for Equitable Development (ACED)
- Roch Mongbo
- Sidol Houngbo
- Epiphane Sodjinou
- Rodrigue Gbedomon
- Elysée Houedjofonon
- Fabrice Tekou
- Fréjus Thoto
- Laurenda Todome
- Clément Agbangla
- Reine Olanignan
Funder: This report is the result of a multi-country expansion of the Doing Research global initiative in Francophone Africa, generously funded by the Ministry of Finance of France, through the Agence Française de Développement, as part of the Pôle Clermontois de Développement Internationale.
Doing Research (DR) is a global initiative launched in 2014 to systematically assess how the characteristics of a national research system impact the capacity to produce, diffuse and use high-quality social science research for social and economic development in developing countries. By providing original data and analysis through a comparative framework that captures trends across countries and over time, the initiative enables national policymakers, donors, research institutions, and academics to strategise efforts in support of stronger and internationally competitive national research systems.
For more information, please contact Francesco Obino at fobino@gdn.int.
If you cite this resource, please notify communications@gdn.int with the subject line 'GDN citation'.
