Decolonise science and development ideas or risk failure – Scholars at Global Value Summit in Jirapa
Renowned scholars, philosophers, and development practitioners from across the globe have converged at the Royal Cosy Hills Hotel in Jirapa for the 2nd Annual Conference of the Institute of Global Value Inquiry (IGVI), issuing an urgent call to dismantle Western epistemic hegemony and embed development policies within indigenous African knowledge systems.
The 2nd Annual Conference of the Institute of Global Value Inquiry (IGVI) concluded in Jirapa, Ghana, with a resolute call to discard Western intellectual dominance and integrate African knowledge systems into development policies. Hosted in collaboration with the University of Business and Integrated Development Studies (UBIDS), the summit emphasized "Indigenous Values and Social Change" alongside "African Feminisms and Indigenous Values in Precarious Global Movements."
Professor Emmanuel Kanchebe Derbile, UBIDS' Vice-Chancellor, warned that centuries of colonialism and global power structures had marginalized African philosophies and urged their revival as dynamic, living frameworks. The academic highlighted the precarious state of the global women's movement, citing funding cuts and the resurgence of anti-rights movements that devalue gender equality in African cultures.
UBIDS' Center for Gender, Diversity, and Social Inclusion, directed by Prof. Constance Akurugu, received funding to support structural change. Keynote speaker Prof. David Millar of Millar Open University challenged the notion of European science's objectivity and urged the integration of African culture into knowledge systems. He defended traditional polygyny as a risk management mechanism, sparking debate.
Professor Emerita Oyèrónkẹ́ Oyěwùmí cautioned against reducing African transformations to polygamy debates, stressing the need to tackle the culture of impunity. Dr. Lindokuhle B. Gama of the University of North-West, South Africa, presented research on women's agency in Southern Africa's polygamous systems. Prof. Dr Anke Graness, Co-Director of IGVI, stressed the necessity to challenge universal norms and engage in critical discussions about African marital practices.
Written by urgent.news from MyJoyOnline Ghana's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
