GENDERED REFLECTIONS ON THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON THE RESEARCH CULTURE IN TWO WEST AFRICAN UNIVERSITIES

Oct 15, 2026

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The Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic disrupted socio-economic activities worldwide, with higher education research culture among the most affected areas. Limited West African research has examined these effects, especially through research ecosystems and researchers’ experiences. This study investigates gendered impacts of COVID-19 on research culture in two West African universities—University of Cape Coast (Ghana) and Université Félix Houphouët-Boigny (Côte d’Ivoire). Using institutional data, the findings show negative effects on time allocation, funding, output, mobility, and career ambitions, varying by gender. Recommendations include increased research budgets, targeted incentives for gender equality, and inclusive HEI policies.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages18

Reading Time45 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

Literature Review

GENDERED REFLECTIONS ON THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON THE RESEARCH CULTURE IN TWO WEST AFRICAN UNIVERSITIES LATÉ A. LAWSON Education Sub-Saharan Africa-ESSA, United Kingdom SAMUEL AGYAPONG University of Cambridge, United Kingdom SAMUEL ASARE PAULINE ESSAH KRISTA C. SAMSON Education Sub-Saharan Africa-ESSA, United Kingdom MIGHT KOJO ABREH GEORGINA YAA ODURO CLARA ARABA MILLS GLORIA NYAME THEOPHILUS K. O. DANSO University of Cape Coast, Ghana DOROTHY TAKYIAKWAA Pennsylvania State University, U.S.A. SEVERIN KONIN Félix Houphouët-Boigny University, Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire ABSTRACT Globally, the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic caused disruptions in socio-economic activities. It did not spare higher education institutions, and the research culture was the most affected area. Compared to industrialised countries, relatively little research has been conducted in West Africa on the impacts of COVID-19, especially considering research ecosystems and researchers. This motivated the present study, which explores how the pandemic affected African research culture from a gendered perspective. Specifically, this study focuses on two universities in West Africa: University of Cape Coast in Ghana and Université Félix Houphouët-Boigny in Côted'Ivoire. Using data collected in these two universities, we examined the gender-specific impacts of COVID-19 on research culture in these institutions. The pandemic negatively affected time allocation to research, research funding and output, academic mobility, and career ambitions of researchers. The effects of the pandemic have been differently experienced by male and female researchers, particularly in terms of time allocation to research, research funding and career ambitions. Based on our findings, we recommend that West African higher education decision-makers increase budgetary allocations for research and implement targeted incentives to promote gender equality in academia. Additionally, we recommend that African HEIs develop and implement policies that foster an inclusive research culture. Educational Planning | Spring 2025 127 Vol. 32, No. 2 INTRODUCTION The COVID-19 pandemic escalated significantly in March 2020, leading to health and safety measures under the guidance of the World Health Organization and relevant national bodies. The pandemic has had significant socio-economic consequences on societies, as evidenced in recent literature on economic production (Glocker & Piribauer, 2021; Morgan et al., 2021), teaching and learning (Ansah et al., 2024; Pokhrel & Chhetri, 2021; Rossiter & Abreh, 2020), and mental health (Jones et al., 2021; Proto & Quintana-Domeque, 2021), among others. Given the varying levels at which societies and livelihoods have been affected, it is crucial to explore the effects of the pandemic through the perspectives of different actors and consider various factors and geographic regions. This article contributes to the body of literature on the impact of COVID-19 on research culture in African higher education institutions (HEIs) from a gender perspective. LITERATURE REVIEW Globally, education institutions have experienced disruptions of varying severity due to the pandemic, evidenced in the early literature on COVID-19 (Adedoyin & Soykan, 2020; Daniel, 2020; Grant etal., 2023; Liang et al., 2020). To ensure continuity of learning, many HEIs transitioned to online teaching and learning modes amidst various challenges (Essah et al., 2022; LlerenaIzquierdo & Ayala-Carabajo, 2021) . Some challenges, especially in developing settings, included access to appropriate technological tools, internet and connectivity challenges and technical knowhow of the end-users. These challenges, as reported in existing literature (Kaup et al., 2020; Millset al., 2023; Neuwirth et al., 2021) posed threats to the capacity of faculty to deploy teaching and support students and pursue research activities, raising essential questions about how COVID-19

FAQs

Which universities are examined in this study?

The study focuses on University of Cape Coast in Ghana and Université Félix Houphouët-Boigny in Côte d’Ivoire.

How did COVID-19 affect research culture according to the findings?

COVID-19 negatively affected researchers’ time allocation to research, research funding and output, academic mobility, and career ambitions.

How did impacts differ between male and female researchers?

The pandemic’s effects were differently experienced by male and female researchers, particularly regarding time allocation to research, research funding, and career ambitions.

Oct 15, 2026

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