Developing countries lack the indigenous scientists necessary to achieve a critical mass of manpower for the effective implementation of research and development policies. The need to train research scientists in the insect sciences is discussed and it is concluded that to provide training on relevant topics, given in the appropriate teaching and learning environment, more training must be available in developing countries. The resources for teaching and research in these countries are inadequate, but although they are scattered they are not absent. It is proposed that regional collaborative training programmes will combine the facilities of universities, for their academic tradition and for teaching, with those of research centres, for research and supervision. The structure and experiences of the African Regional Postgraduate Programme in Insect Science (ARPPIS) are presented as a model for a regional graduate training programme in developing countries. ARPPIS is a collaborative venture between 12 African universities and the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology, leading to the award of the Ph.D. degree.