Abstract

Research Ethics is a new area even though the questions that are being addressed are as ancient as humanity since they are about doing right and avoiding moral wrong. Research ethics is a subdiscipline of applied ethics, supposing the existence of ethical theory upon which ethical solutions are based for solving the problems that arise. As a new area, scholars have been addressing its definition. Most of research ethics literature is based on the medical sciences. This chapter will identify ethical issues arising from research and give examples of how African indigenous thinking is left out when research ethics is discussed. A good understanding of African thought systems will suggest a distinct approach to African Research Ethics. This is important because African research ethics will make demands from researchers from an African perspective, not an imposition of understanding ethical decision-making from a Western perspective. The chapter therefore identifies strands in African research ethics that demand attention. It will go on to show how more needs to be done to ensure ethical considerations are made in research in a way that acknowledges the African world view. This exercise will ensure that African societies are the authorities of their ethical perspectives on research among their people taking the question of positionality and decoloniality seriously in research. For example, when we assess risk in research, we are not going to be using Western type of analysis. If we do, we are likely to miss the people we are trying to address when we examine the ethical issues of research in Africa.