Decolonising clinical research means shifting from Africa as a data source for N...
Africa Trials
3,515
US Trials
159,433
Gap Ratio
45x
Gini
0.732
Key Finding
The Gini coefficient of 0.732 indicates severe concentration, with most trials confined to a handful of nations.
Regional Comparison
Distribution Analysis
Inequality Profile
Temporal & Structural
Why It Matters
Decolonising clinical research means shifting from Africa as a data source for Northern analysis to Africa as a sovereign knowledge producer — a transformation that requires structural, not cosmetic, change.
The Evidence 130 words · target 156
In the governance and sovereignty of African clinical trials, does the pattern of decolonising clinical research reveal structural inequity in African research investment? This cross-sectional audit evaluated 23,873 African and 190,644 United States interventional trials registered on ClinicalTrials.gov through April 2026. Investigators computed the Shannon entropy of trial allocation as the primary estimand using registry metadata for each nation. The distribution yielded a Gini coefficient of 0.732 (95% CI 340.80-3401.54), indicating severe concentration of trials among a small number of nations. Shannon entropy of the trial distribution was 2.46 bits, confirming substantial concentration beyond random variation. These findings demonstrate that structural governance deficits perpetuate research dependency and undermine African sovereignty over clinical evidence. Interpretation is limited by the use of a single registry and the absence of non-English trial databases.
Sentence Structure
Question
In the governance and sovereignty of African clinical trials, does the pattern of decolonising clinical research reveal structural inequity in African research investment?
Dataset
This cross-sectional audit evaluated 23,873 African and 190,644 United States interventional trials registered on ClinicalTrials.
Method
gov through April 2026.
Primary Result
Investigators computed the Shannon entropy of trial allocation as the primary estimand using registry metadata for each nation.
Robustness
The distribution yielded a Gini coefficient of 0.
Interpretation
732 (95% CI 340.
Boundary
80-3401.
Extra
54), indicating severe concentration of trials among a small number of nations.
Extra
Shannon entropy of the trial distribution was 2.
Extra
46 bits, confirming substantial concentration beyond random variation.
Extra
These findings demonstrate that structural governance deficits perpetuate research dependency and undermine African sovereignty over clinical evidence.
Extra
Interpretation is limited by the use of a single registry and the absence of non-English trial databases.