ENTEBBE– The African Indigenous Knowledge Research Network (AIKRN), in collaboration with Carleton University and the Mastercard Foundation, hosted the maiden Annual International Conference on Indigenous Knowledge Systems and Restorative Development in Africa.
In her keynote address, Reeta Roy, President and CEO of the Mastercard Foundation, emphasized the need for a paradigm shift in development thinking. “What is impact, and whose perspective defines it?” Roy asked, urging participants to move beyond data-driven metrics and embrace a more holistic understanding that values community experience and voice.
“Impact is a lived experience. It is not imposed, but discovered through listening, through humility, and through partnership,” she added.
Roy emphasized the importance of centering youth and Indigenous communities in development strategies, highlighting the Foundation’s evolving approach of local partnerships and community-led engagement.
Roy highlighted the Foundation’s strategic pivot towards community-led partnerships through its Young Africa Works strategy and Indigenous collaborations in Canada. In both contexts, the results have been transformative, increased access to education, strengthened livelihoods, and empowered local economies, especially through grassroots financial systems such as Savings and Credit Cooperative Societies (SACCOs). “We have seen first-hand that when communities lead, impact follows,” She emphasized.
According to Dr. Samuel Ojo Oloruntoba, Founding Convener of AIKRN and Lead Researcher at Carleton University, the conference represents the culmination of a bold vision: to activate Indigenous knowledge not just as a heritage to be preserved, but as a dynamic resource for innovation and job creation.
“Our motivation for this project was informed by the need to respond to the high rate of unemployment among African youth through the application of Indigenous knowledge,” Dr. Oloruntoba stated. “We are committed not only to preserving Indigenous knowledge for posterity but also to leveraging it to create dignified livelihoods and address contemporary challenges such as climate change, healthcare, and youth unemployment through ethical innovation and community-based research.”
Professor Justus Kwetegyeka, Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Kyambogo University, highlighted the urgent need to integrate Indigenous knowledge into formal education to ensure its accessibility and relevance to younger generations.
He emphasized the role of knowledge exchange programs and digital technologies, such as archiving, in safeguarding traditional wisdom from extinction. Stressing the need for ethical research practices, he asserted that Indigenous communities must be recognized and fairly compensated for their contributions. He further noted that under Uganda’s National Development Plan IV (NDP IV), Kyambogo University is championing the inclusion of Indigenous systems as a key strategy for advancing the Sustainable Development Goals especially SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being.
Also speaking at the conference, Professor Wisdom Tettey, Vice-Chancellor of Carleton University, urged participants to document, assert, and elevate the contributions of Indigenous knowledge to challenge dominant narratives. “Indigenous knowledge is neither uncivilized nor unsophisticated,” he declared. “As stewards of these systems, we must assert the moral authority to challenge institutions and policies that undermine their value,” Professor Tettey said.
Over the next two days, the conference will continue to explore how Indigenous knowledge systems can unlock new economic, educational, and cultural frontiers turning ancient wisdom into a modern force for equity and transformation.
