If the views expressed by scholars during the public lecture delivered at the University of Nairobi’s Taifa Hall are anything to go by, Africa, is taking the right path. During the lecture which marked Kwani Trust’s 10th decade in artistic, literary and media production, all the scholars, among them Prof. George Magoha (Vice Chancellor, University of Nairobi) and Chimamanda Adichie Ngozi (a renowned Nigerian novelist) concurred that Africa has a positive role to play in the world’s socio-economic and political scene.

The scholars noted that Africans should not muffle their thoughts as African thought has a place on the global stage. They also noted that Africans must muster confidence, tell their true story and not allow others to define them. They interrogated development paradigms that use externally generated benchmarks rate Africa and emphasize on physical infrastructure at the expense of developing a quality human resource. They called on Africans to develop homegrown benchmarks rooted in African values to address societal challenges and proactively write their books, read them and disseminate them to the rest of the world.

Africa is endowed with a high caliber of  scholarly  resource. The scholars must be proactive and project their voice locally and globally through groundbreaking research, innovation, new ideas and pathways to spur the continent to greater heights of prosperity. With the challenges the continent is facing, it is fertile for these ideas and innovations.