Fostering university contribution towards sustainable development: the instrumentality of indigenous knowledge system

Mbah, MF ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4199-0819 and Johnson, AT, 2021. Fostering university contribution towards sustainable development: the instrumentality of indigenous knowledge system. In: Leal Filho, W, Pretorius, R and Olim de Sousa, L, eds., Sustainable development in Africa. World sustainability series . Cham: Springer, pp. 19-36. ISBN 9783030746926

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Abstract

Universities are often seen as drivers of change in their regions of operation through research, teaching, engagement and enterprise activities. This is significant in Africa where several universities are state owned, rely on government subsidies, and possess a mission to promote the sustainable development of the nation. While the UN sustainable development goals provide an opportunity for Africa to achieve its development targets, we examined the role of the university. More specifically, we considered the significance of Indigenous knowledge to a university’s mission towards development. This is pivotal, as Africans and their institutions provide leadership to the transformation of their nations, not just in terms of knowledge production but also integration. We adopted a multiple case-study design that recruited participants from Zambia (N = 50) and The Gambia (N = 40) comprising academics, university managers and community members. Participants took part in relational dialogues that address the intersection between Indigenous knowledge, the university’s mission and sustainable development. Findings from a comprehensive data analysis posit the need for the university in Africa to re-envision its teaching and research architectures for sustainable development. The chapter underscores that Indigenous knowledge holders should be provided space to contribute to the curricula if the teaching mission of the university would result in graduates who are suited to contribute to the continent’s development with sustainable outcomes. Similarly, it is argued that Indigenous people can be co-researchers, who can identify and provide indigenised methodological insights into the investigation of complex development challenges faced by their communities.

Item Type:	Chapter in book
Creators:	Mbah, M.F. and Johnson, A.T.
Publisher:	Springer
Place of Publication:	Cham
Date:	2021
ISBN:	9783030746926
Identifiers:	Number Type 10.1007/978-3-030-74693-3_2 DOI 1450852 Other
Divisions:	Schools > Nottingham Institute of Education
Record created by:	Linda Sullivan
Date Added:	14 Jul 2021 09:37
Last Modified:	10 Jul 2023 03:00
URI:	https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/43463

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