A Framework for the Africanisation of the Information Systems Discipline

Abstract

There is currently a worldwide debate about and drive towards the decoloniality of academia. Little research has, however, been done about the Africanisation of software design and development approaches. Information Systems research methodologies have not yet been enriched extensively by African perspectives, either. Although the Information and Communication Technology for Development (ICT4D) community has contributed significantly to the implementation of software in African contexts, the Information Systems discipline (IS) should be enriched - from an African perspective - on deeper, theoretical levels than those that have already been explored and implemented. This article aims to fill the need for a framework to guide the Africanisation of the IS discipline. The article follows a conceptual approach. It reflects on the opportunities for theoretical knowledge regarding the indigenisation of IS tuition, research, academic administration, community service, and the staff and students involved. These ideas converge into an integrated, two-dimensional graph. The proposed framework could serve as a starting point to extend the Africanisation process in the IS discipline, as well as to contribute to meta-theoretical discussions about the process itself. Keywords: Africanisation, decoloniality, indigenisation, Information Systems, computing, conceptual framework