Combining indigenous wisdom and academic knowledge to build sustainable future: An example from rural Africa

Abstract

The paper presents the premise that sustainable development in Africa is only possible when it involves a bottom-up approach and brings in a multitude of local endeavors. In order for this to occur, community knowledge bases must be captured and utilized. This is shown here by using the case example of a community in Northern Ghana where a new college has been set up in the midst of a rural environment. The preliminary findings from the case show the economic, social and ecological benefits of using the local community’s resources and stakeholders, and their indigenous knowledge, for positioning the new college’s mission within its constituency. From a theoretical viewpoint, the paper envisages how a combination of knowledge management and systems thinking can amalgamate into practical approaches for both building new approaches to sustainable development and fostering pertinent projects and programs. Key words: Indigenous wisdom, sustainable development, community intellectual capital, systems thinking, Africa.