Transforming Knowledge for Africa's Future in Addis Ababa (Ethiopia)

“Knowledge is a garden; if it is not cultivated, it cannot be harvested. Many different plants make the garden beautiful and useful to humanity”; emphasizing the rich history of African knowledge systems, epistemologies and contributions, President Sahle-Work Zewde (Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia) also said “Africa’s indigenous knowledge has the power to inspire global solidarity and contribute to the creation of a just and equitable global system”, she invited delegates to explore pathways towards the same.

Thus began the UNESCO conference on “Transforming Knowledge for Africa’s Future” in Addis Ababa (Ethiopia), September 30 - October 2, 2024. Organised jointly with the African Union and International Forum of UNESCO Chairs, the deliberations by nearly 300 delegates (two-thirds from Africa) began to articulate a new consensus about knowledge and sustainable development.

The conversations focused on three streams.

First, recognition of ‘knowledge ecologies’ argued for decolonisation of research frameworks and methodologies. Decolonisation is not merely an intellectual shift, but also entails emotional, personal and normative renewal. Second, deliberations on implementation of Open Science approaches argued that the third and fourth pillars of UNESCO Recommendations (which focus on public engagement and dialogue with multiple epistemologies) continue to be ignored, thereby weakening the requirement of engaging with community & indigenous knowledge. Third, conversations on research partnerships emphasized the need for reform of institutional cultures and structures in research institutions and research funders.