Dr Mia Strand of Nelson Mandela University's Institute for Coastal and Marine Research. Photo: Supplied
Stewardship — keeping what we have in trust for our children — lies at the heart of sustainability, and Africa must tell its own story in its own voice.
This was the message from a panel discussion hosted by Nelson Mandela University’s (NMU’s) Mandela Institute for Sustainable Futures (MISF) earlier this month, which explored how sustainability can be framed in an African context.
The event brought together thought leaders from South Africa and Nigeria, who emphasised that African solutions must be indigenous, inclusive and innovative.
In his keynote address, Professor Bheki Mngomezulu, director of the Centre for the Advancement of Non-Racialism and Democracy at NMU, highlighted Africa’s rich resources and the need to redefine sustainability through African epistemologies, or ways of knowing.
“A subject like history should be reintroduced — we relegated it to oblivion. In 1994 we had the opportunity to commission books and we squandered it,” he said, calling for African-centred books to be commissioned to trace African inventions.
He was critical of both colonial legacies and post-colonial African leadership failures. “Africans are thinking but not implementing — we should have progressed much faster but we cannot blame the West for all of our wrongs,” he said.
“How do we shift the narrative that Africans have to catch up?” he asked, stressing that African leaders needed to take responsibility and work collaboratively with academics to address sustainability issues.
But he cautioned that research should not be conducted purely for the sake of research; it had to be in service of society.
The conversation underscored the power of narrative in changing attitudes, advocating for pan Africanist intentionality and the celebration of African achievements.
From Nigeria, Dr Nneka Okekearu, director of the Enterprise Development Centre at Pan-Atlantic University, echoed this, saying that Africa’s sustainability story must remain true to its roots while looking to the future.
Her key takeaways were:
• Africa has always been sustainable; our roots run deep.
• Entrepreneurs are our changemakers; turning ideas into action.
• Inclusion matters; everyone has a role to play.
• Innovation is local; homegrown solutions are thriving.
• Circular is the future; waste less, do more.
• Tell our story; Africa’s voice, Africa’s way.
• You are the movement; build it together.
“Let us celebrate local success stories, scale what is working and share South Africa’s unique voice globally,” she said, stressing the importance of youth and women’s empowerment and the circular economy.
She also gave inspiring examples of African-led sustainable entrepreneurship. These include:
Chioma Ogbudimkpa, founder and creative director of Redbutton, is a sustainable women’s fashion brand that fuses African aesthetics, local materials and art to create apparel using yarns made from the invasive water hyacinth.
Amara Nwuneli has transformed a landfill in Lagos into a youth-led, community-based recycling initiative.
Ecotutu is a Nigerian start-up that provides solar-powered food storage for farmers using sustainable cooling technology.
“Africa’s entrepreneurs are our changemakers,” she said.
Dr Mia Strand, a postdoctoral research fellow with NMU’s Institute for Coastal and Marine Research, challenged participants to centre African ways of knowing in ocean conservation and sustainability.
She highlighted the legacies of colonialism in conservation, which often silenced indigenous voices and imposed external models.
“How can we centre ubuntu and communalism in ocean sustainability? How do we make sure we do not reproduce and reinforce coloniality?” she asked.
She made a strong call for global cognitive justice, noting: “It is important that this process is African-led — the United Nations sustainable development goal 14, Life Below Water, is not a one-size-fits-all situation, and consideration must be given to specific context.
“What and whose research, methods and knowledges are we including, and not including?
“How do we come together to make this an inclusive process, to ensure that it is actually informed by African ways of knowing and being with the ocean, and connecting with the ocean?”
The panel, facilitated by Dr Shashi Cullinan Cook, said that framing sustainability in Africa demanded more than just replicating global frameworks. It called for intentional, African-led visioning, inclusion of indigenous knowledge and empowerment of local communities to take ownership of their sustainable future.