<p>African pangolins, comprising four of the world’s nine pangolin species, have gained growing scientific attention as Asian populations continue to decline. However, there is currently a lack of comprehensive reviews to evaluate the research trends and priorities of African pangolins. Here, we reviewed 136 peer-reviewed papers published between 2006 and 2024, using descriptive statistics, line graphs, Kendell’s tau b coefficient, and Kruskal-Wallis test to evaluate trends, identify research gaps, and guide future priorities. We found that research activity has grown notably since 2019, led mostly by authors from range countries, especially the Republic of South Africa, Nigeria, and Cameroon, but contributions from non-range countries have grown steadily since 2015. However, a persistent geographical bias was observed in the published studies where 32% of the total papers come from Southern Africa, 18% from Western Africa with lesser papers from Central Africa and almost no papers from Eastern Africa. The White-bellied and Temminck’s pangolins are the most studied species, while the Giant and Black-bellied pangolins receive limited attention. Baseline surveys are the most common themes, with poaching and trade being the most mentioned threats. Moreover, little is known about how climate change affects pangolins or about their evolutionary history, and genetic methods for tracking the illegal pangolin trade are also limited. To address these gaps, we recommend establishing cross knowledge system collaboration to enable researchers to work fairly with Indigenous and local knowledge, expanding field research in Eastern and Central Africa, conducting targeted studies on the Giant and Black-bellied pangolins, and investing in genomic data to improve conservation planning. Addressing these gaps is essential to guide evidence-based conservation strategies for Africa’s increasingly threatened pangolins.</p>