Beneficiaries are actors too.pdf - Southern Institute of Peace ...

4
The role of Indigenous Knowledge in
sustainable development: Practices
and challenges
Kudakwashe D. K. Tapfumaneyi, Zimbabwe Open University,
Zimbabwe
Gift Rupande, Zimbabwe Open University, Zimbabwe
Abstract
Despite the technological advances that have come with the
ubiquitous effects of globalisation indigenous knowledge (IK) has
continued to play a central role in the socio-economic and
cultural lives in most resource poor nations in the developing
World. Every society inevitably has a history behind its knowledge
resources – i.e. IK – which guides its development process. African
Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) are holistic in nature and
centuries of close contact with nature have cultivated a good
relationship with the ecosystem, enabling ecological
responsibility and human health maintenance. The paper
explores the potential role of IK in enhancing sustainable
development in Africa. The paper argues that exclusion of IKS
from the development agenda has led to the snail's pace of
development resulting in Africa lagging behind the Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs). The paper examines why the
development policies and strategies in the West may not be
misguidedly adopted straitjacketed to suit Africa's development
agenda largely because of different operational environments and
the disparity in infrastructure resources. The paper highlights
the importance of IK as the engine of sustainable development in
Africa and also the challenges that currently hinder the full
exploitation of IK citing possible solutions to the challenges.
60