Abstract:
Africa is recognised as the cradle of humankind with a proven record of
creativity and innovation as evidenced by its great empires and kingdoms. It is thus an
enigma that currently Africa contributes only 2% to global knowledge production, a
situation that is widely believed to account for its underdevelopment. Even though
scholarly disagreement cuts very deep here, it is mostly due to the reasons of the status
quo rather than to disputing the poor showing of Africa in global knowledge produc
tion. The high quality of articles presented in this supplementary issue showcases our
conviction that Africa can indeed shake off historical stigmas and reposition itself as
a giant in knowledge production. This editorial introduces the contributions in the
issue which interrogates the status quo and explores ways in which knowledge produc
tion can be enhanced. Three key thematic approaches are presented: a decolonial
approach to legitimising African knowledge based on its needs, culture, and heritage;
development of robust knowledge production and quality assurance institutions; and
inclusive education and knowledge production
