India, May 22 -- Africa's extraordinary biodiversity remains under-researched, with the continent contributing under 1% of global scientific output.

Beyond low R&D investment and weak infrastructure, African scientists are chronically underpayed.

Stark salary gaps with foreign-affiliated researchers limit fieldwork and undermine local leadership in studies.

Africa is one of the most biodiverse regions on Earth. But much of its biodiversity remains poorly studied. Research from the continent contributes to less than 1 per cent to global scientific output.

This pattern is often explained by limited investment in research. Governments in sub-Saharan Africa allocate, on average, only about 0.4 per cent of their gross domestic product (GDP...