A groundbreaking conference in Entebbe has made a powerful case for placing Africa’s indigenous knowledge at the center of the continent’s development agenda. The African Indigenous Knowledge Research Network (AIKRN), together with Carleton University and the Mastercard Foundation, hosted the first Annual International Conference on Indigenous Knowledge Systems and Restorative Development in Africa, bringing together over 300 participants from across the continent and beyond.

Held over three days at the Imperial Resort Beach Hotel, the gathering united researchers, traditional leaders, scholars, youth, and policymakers in exploring how indigenous systems could drive economic opportunities, cultural revival, and sustainable development – particularly for Africa’s young population. The conference represented a bold challenge to conventional development approaches, arguing that solutions to Africa’s challenges already exist within its rich cultural heritage.

Mastercard Foundation President and CEO Reeta Roy set the tone with a thought-provoking keynote address that questioned traditional measures of progress. “What is impact, and whose perspective defines it?” Roy asked the audience, urging a shift from purely data-driven metrics to approaches that value community experience and voice. She emphasized that true development must be rooted in listening and partnership rather than external imposition.

Roy highlighted her organization’s evolving strategy of working with local communities through initiatives like Young Africa Works and indigenous partnerships in Canada. These programs have demonstrated how grassroots approaches – particularly community financial systems like SACCOs – can create tangible improvements in education access, livelihoods, and local economies. “We have seen first-hand that when communities lead, impact follows,” she stated, offering a powerful endorsement of indigenous-led development models.

Dr. Samuel Ojo Oloruntoba, AIKRN’s founding convener and a Carleton University researcher, explained the conference’s origins in Africa’s youth unemployment crisis. “Our motivation was the need to respond to high youth unemployment through indigenous knowledge applications,” he said. For Dr. Oloruntoba, indigenous systems represent more than cultural heritage – they offer practical tools for job creation and solving contemporary challenges like climate change and healthcare through ethical innovation.

The conference spotlighted several pathways for integrating traditional knowledge into modern development. Professor Justus Kwetegyeka, Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Kyambogo University, stressed the urgent need to bring indigenous knowledge into formal education systems. He pointed to digital archiving and knowledge exchange programs as ways to preserve traditional wisdom while making it relevant to younger generations.

Professor Kwetegyeka also addressed the ethical dimension, insisting that indigenous communities must receive proper recognition and compensation for sharing their knowledge. He revealed that Uganda’s National Development Plan IV already includes indigenous systems as a key strategy for achieving Sustainable Development Goals, particularly in health and wellbeing.

Carleton University Vice-Chancellor Professor Wisdom Tettey delivered a passionate defense of indigenous knowledge against those who dismiss it as primitive. “Indigenous knowledge is neither uncivilized nor unsophisticated,” he declared, calling on participants to actively document and champion these systems to counter dominant narratives that marginalize them.

The conference represents a growing movement to position Africa’s indigenous knowledge as a dynamic resource rather than a relic of the past. Participants explored numerous examples where traditional practices are being adapted to modern challenges – from climate-smart agricultural techniques rooted in ancestral wisdom to indigenous healthcare solutions that complement conventional medicine.

Youth engagement emerged as a central theme, with many sessions focusing on how to make indigenous knowledge relevant and accessible to younger Africans. Participants acknowledged the generational disconnect that has left many youth unfamiliar with traditional systems, proposing innovative solutions like digital platforms and youth-led documentation projects to bridge this gap.

The economic potential of indigenous knowledge also received significant attention. Case studies demonstrated how traditional crafts, medicines, and agricultural practices could be commercialized to create sustainable livelihoods while preserving cultural heritage. The conference highlighted successful examples of indigenous knowledge-based enterprises that are providing dignified employment for young Africans.

As the first event of its kind, the AIKRN conference has laid down an important marker for Africa’s development discourse. Its core message – that the continent’s future must be built on its own terms, drawing from its rich cultural heritage – challenges decades of development orthodoxy that has often looked to external solutions.

The gathering represents more than just talk; it has sparked concrete plans for research collaborations, policy advocacy, and community projects aimed at bringing indigenous knowledge into mainstream development practice. With commitments from academic institutions, funders, and policymakers, there is growing momentum behind the indigenous knowledge movement.

As the conference concluded, participants left with a renewed sense of possibility – that Africa’s path to prosperity might not lie in abandoning its past, but in rediscovering and reinventing it. The challenge now is to turn these ideas into action, ensuring that indigenous knowledge moves from conference halls to communities, from theory to practice, and from heritage to hope for Africa’s youth.

The success of this maiden conference suggests that the movement to center indigenous knowledge in Africa’s development journey is only beginning. As more stakeholders recognize the value of these systems, we may be witnessing the birth of a truly African development paradigm – one that is rooted in the continent’s wisdom while addressing its contemporary challenges.