Human Resource Allocations in Sub-Saharan African Agricultural Research:

Behind the Regional Trends

Presentation at the ASTI/IFPRI-FARA Conference “Agricultural R&D: Investing in Africa’s Future. Analyzing Trends, Challenges, and Opportunities”

Accra, Ghana, December 5-7, 2011

Nienke Beintema and Michael Rahija

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> 500 200 to 500 100 to 200 < 100Nigeria (2,062) Mali (313) Mauritius (158) Botswana (97)Ethiopia (1,318) Uganda (299) Senegal (141) Niger (93)Sudan (1,020) Mozambique (263) Zimbabwe (139) Mauritania (74)Kenya (1,011) Burkina Faso (240) Malawi (127) Congo, Rep. (71)South Africa (796) Guinea (229) Côte d’Ivoire (123) Namibia (70)Tanzania (674) Madagascar (212) Eritrea (122) Sierra Leone (67)Ghana (537) Zambia (209) Benin (115) Togo (63)

Burundi (107) Gabon (61)Rwanda (104) The Gambia (38)

Researcher levels (in full-time equivalents)

Pool of public agricultural R&D staffin absolute FTE numbers, 2008

■ Large variation in researcher capacity by country as well as growth over time

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Size of researcher capacity for 31 countries, 1971-2008

■ Many African countries remain to have small capacity pools, but total size has grown

0

10

21

31

1971 1981 1991 2008

Num

ber o

f cou

ntrie

s

Number of FTE researchers

< 25 25-99 100-499 500-999 > 1000

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Changing R&D composition: Enhanced university involvement

■ The role of the higher education sector in agricultural research continues to increase

preliminary data-not for citation

82% 77% 73%

15% 20% 24%

0

20

40

60

80

100

1991 2001 2008

Higher education

Nonprofit

Government

Shar

e o

f FTE

resa

erch

ers(

%)

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Growth in female scientist shares by country, 2001 to 2008

■ In 2008 average female participation was 22%, compared to 18% in 2000

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Shift in gender gap with career advancement (10 countries), 2007/8

85%

72%

65%65%

71%

17%

35%

27%

35%34%

0

20

40

60

80

100

Students (10) Graduates (10) PS/ST (10) SPL (10) M (10)

Fem

ale

shar

e (p

erce

ntag

e)

Male Female

PS/TS indicates professional and technical support staff; SPL includes scientists, (assistant) professors, and (senior) lecturers not in management positions; and M indicates management and includes directors, deans, and department heads. When including all 15 countries, the female share in management positions is lower at 14 percent

■ But women remain highly underrepresented in management positions

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Research allocation by degree and country, 2008

0 20 40 60 80 100

GuineaEritrea

MozambiqueEthiopiaZambia

RwandaZimbabweBotswana

NamibiaMalawi

The GambiaMauritiusTanzania

NigeriaBurundi

SudanGabon

Sierra LeoneGhanaKenyaBenin

UgandaSouth Africa

MauritaniaNigerTogo

MadagascarRep. of Congo

MaliBurkina FasoCôte d'Ivoire

Senegal

Average

BSc MSc PhD

Shares of full–time equivalent researchers (%)

■ Researchers in francophone Africa more highly qualified

■ During 1970s and 1980s, many countries received considerable donor support for staff training abroad but by the late 1990s, many donors had cut/eliminated funding for training.

■ Some smaller countries lack critical mass of PhDs

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Researchers by major subsector, 2008

■ Crops remain the most important subsector for many countries

■ Increased focus, however, beyond crop and livestock

0 20 40 60 80 100

SSA average

Burkina FasoMauritania

MozambiqueCongo, Republic of

NamibiaMadagascar

NigeriaKenyaSudanNiger

BotswanaSouth Africa

GabonUganda

BeninMali

BurundiZimbabwe

SenegalGuinea

Côte d'IvoireTanzania

EritreaEthiopia

Gambia, TheZambia

RwandaTogo

GhanaSierra Leone

Mauritius

Shares of full–time equivalent researchers (%)

Crops Livestock Forestry Fisheries Natural resources Other

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Major crop items for specificcountries, 2008

■ Focus of crop research is highly diverse, even for the smallest of the small

Country Major crop itemsNigeria Cassava (10%), maize (6%), oil palm (6%)Kenya Maize (18%), coffee (10%), vegetables (8%), potatoes (8%), wheat (8%), other fruit (7%),

bananas (6%), sorghum (5%)Tanzania Maize (12%), rice (6%), cassava (6%)Ghana Cocoa (11%), cassava (11%), maize (10%), rice (9%), vegetables (7%), oil palm (5%), potatoes

(5%), yam (5%)

Sierra Leone Rice (30%), cassava (29%), sorghum (8%)Togo Maize (18%), cotton (14%), rice (14%), sorghum (12%), yam (9%), cassava (9%), cocoa (7%),

coffee (6%)Gabon Bananas (36%), sugarcane (5%), oil palm (5%)Gambia, The Groundnuts (24%), millet (17%), rice (14%), maize (8%), fruits (8%), cassava (7%)

SSA (30) Maize (9%), fruits (9%), rice (7%), vegetables (7%), wheat (7%), sorghum (6%), cassava (5%)

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Relative researcher capacity: intensity ratios, 2008 compared with 1981■ Despite absolute growth, the number of researchers per

million economically active agricultural population increased slightly

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

Nig

er

Mal

awi

Rwan

da

Buru

ndi

Uga

nda

Moz

ambi

que

Mad

agas

car

Sene

gal

Burk

ina

Faso

Côte

d'Iv

oire

Tanz

ania

Ethi

opia

Togo

Zim

babw

e

Sier

ra L

eone

Gui

nea

Gam

bia,

The

Zam

bia

Beni

n

Keny

a

Eritr

ea

Gha

na

Mau

rita

nia

Mal

i

Suda

n

Nig

eria

Cong

o, R

ep. o

f

Nam

ibia

Bots

wan

a

Gab

on

Sout

h A

fric

a

Mau

ritiu

s

Ave

rage

Num

ber

of F

TE r

esea

rche

rs p

erm

illio

n ag

ricu

ltura

l lab

or fo

rce

3,103

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Allocation of researchers and production value across crops and livestock, 2008

■ Overall, crops/livestock research allocation is fairly similar to their share in production value

0 20 40 60 80 100

Prod value30-country sample Researchers

Prod valueUganda Researchers

Prod valueTanzania Researchers

Prod valueSudan Researchers

Prod valueSouth Africa Researchers

Prod valueNigeria Researchers

Prod valueKenya Researchers

Prod valueGhana Researchers

Prod valueEthiopia Researchers

Shares (%)

Crops Livestock

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Researcher intensity by major crop and country, 2008

0

10

20

30

40

Nig

eria

Gha

na

Tanz

ania

Moz

ambi

que

Sier

ra L

eone

SSA

ave

rage

Num

ber

of F

TE r

esea

rche

rs p

erm

illio

n ag

ricu

ltura

l lab

or fo

rce

Cassava

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

Ethi

opia

Keny

a

Sout

h A

fric

a

Nig

eria

Tanz

ania

Gha

na

Zam

bia

SSA

ave

rage

Num

ber

of F

TE r

esea

rche

rs p

erm

illio

n ag

ricu

ltura

l lab

or fo

rce

Maize

0

50

100

150

200

Mal

i

Gui

nea

Gha

na

Ethi

opia

Nig

eria

Mad

agas

car

Tanz

ania

SSA

ave

rage

Num

ber

of F

TE r

esea

rche

rs p

erm

illio

n ag

ricu

ltura

l lab

or fo

rce

1,066Rice

0

100

200

300

400

Ethi

opia

Suda

n

Eritr

ea

Keny

a

Zam

bia

Bots

wan

a

Burk

ina

Faso

Tanz

ania

SSA

ave

rage

Num

ber

of F

TE r

esea

rche

rs p

erm

illio

n ag

ricu

ltura

l lab

or fo

rce

1,426 560Sorghum

0

30

60

90

120

Ethi

opia

Sout

h A

fric

a

Suda

n

Keny

a

SSA

ave

rage

Num

ber

of F

TE r

esea

rche

rs p

erm

illio

n ag

ricu

ltura

l lab

or fo

rce

Wheat

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Pressing human capacity challenges in African agricultural R&D

■ Many countries face rapidly aging pools of scientists due to public sector recruitment restrictions

■ Large influx of young BSc-qualified scientists after years of recruitment restrictions in some countries

■ High staff turnover / brain drain: Many researchers have left agencies due to low salaries / conditions of service

■ Limited in-country postgraduate training opportunities