Navigating the Endogenous Knowledge Production Landscape: A Policy Analysis of African Studies in Sierra Leone,

The production of endogenous knowledge within African Studies is a critical yet under-examined pillar of sustainable development. In Sierra Leone, the field's institutional and policy landscape remains fragmented, constraining its potential to inform locally relevant solutions. This policy analysis aims to critically assess the institutional frameworks, funding mechanisms, and epistemic challenges shaping African Studies research conducted within the country. It seeks to identify systemic barriers and opportunities for strengthening a locally anchored knowledge ecosystem. The analysis employs a qualitative document review of national policy texts, institutional strategies, and funding criteria, triangulated with insights from key informant interviews with policymakers, university deans, and senior researchers. A dominant theme is the misalignment between national research priorities and the conditionalities of external funding, which perpetuates epistemic dependency. Specifically, over two-thirds of reviewed policy documents lacked a coherent mechanism for integrating community-based knowledge systems into formal research agendas. The development of a robust, endogenous African Studies discipline in Sierra Leone is currently hindered by a policy environment that inadequately prioritises and resources locally led epistemological frameworks. Policymakers should establish a national research fund with explicit criteria privileging locally formulated questions. Universities must create promotion pathways that value community-engaged scholarship. A national dialogue is required to develop a coherent policy framework for the humanities and social sciences. endogenous knowledge, research policy, epistemic justice, higher education, Sierra Leone, African Studies This article provides a novel analysis of the specific policy mechanisms that disconnect national research governance from the praxis of endogenous knowledge production, offering a new framework for decolonising research systems.