Breaking new grounds in research on Indigenous knowledge and entrepreneurship in Africa
Riding on the wings of Indigenous knowledge, I am privileged to be leading a continental initiative to study how to unlock sustainable solutions for employment and entrepreneurship for African youths in Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, and Uganda in the first instance. This project is located within the ongoing discourses on the politics of knowledge production and decolonization. Against the backdrop of the systematic marginalization of the valuable insights and wisdom of Indigenous communities across Africa, there have been missed opportunities for sustainable growth and development. Yet, as we argued in a recent paper “Decolonizing African Studies Pedagogies: Knowledge Production, Epistemic Imperialism and Black Agency“, (see chapter 2), African intellectuals have spent considerable time responding to theories and methods from elsewhere and that it is time we started embracing the enduring wisdom of Indigenous traditions and their forward-thinking applications through amplifying the voices of Africans in formal and informal settings.
This project transcends epistemic disobedience as it seeks to assert African agency in rediscovering, reasserting and recentering the neglected voices of African elders, traditional knowledge holders, youths, women and men on issues of Indigenous approaches to entrepreneurship in Africa.
Through conferences and training programs, the project aims to connect researchers, Indigenous knowledge keepers, and Indigenous youth across Africa who are interested in promoting African Indigenous knowledge, and its application to entrepreneurship and job creation. The achieve these objectives, the African Indigenous Knowledge Research Network has been formed (AIKRN) as a network of university research centers, Indigenous institutions and Indigenous communities and Non- Governmental Organizations (NGOs) that currently span across Benin Republic, Botswana, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, and Uganda https://africaindigenousresearch.com
By taking a decolonial approach focused on co-creation of knowledge through direct engagement with communities, the African Indigenous Knowledge Research Network will reinforce existing initiatives on the application of Indigenous knowledge on sustainable livelihoods, and also help preserve and amplify Indigenous knowledge while identifying promising areas for youth entrepreneurship and employment in various sectors.
If you are interested in making a difference through original research on Indigenous knowledge and its application to sustainable livelihoods, you are welcome to apply for membership of the African Indigenous Knowledge Research Network, https://africaindigenousresearch.com
Thank you, Mastercard Foundation for being such a great partner on various initiatives aimed unlocking the massive potentials and opportunities for transformational development in Africa. Thank you, Carleton University for providing a home to carry out this project. Thank you, our valuable partners across Africa for being part of this exciting journey to make a difference in the lives of our people.