Afrocentric Citizenship Education: A Resource for Good Governance and Economic Resuscitation in Post-Colonial Africa
Ishmael Iwara 
& Victor Ojakorotu
Issue: Vol.6 No.2 Issue Article 11 pp. 169 – 184
DOI: https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.20256211 | Published online 17th February, 2025
© 2025 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Institutional corruption and lack of accountability, both prevalent traits of ill governance, continue to undermine Africa’s economic development, persistently straining growth and stability despite numerous reform efforts aimed at promoting transparency, and integrity. Through a synthesis of contemporary discourse on anti-corruption measures and good governance, this desktop study conceptualised Africanized citizenship education, delivered through curriculum reforms, family influence, and societal platforms as a crucial intervention. The urgency of Afrocentric citizenship education lies in the need to restore Afrocentric governance principles from the pre-colonial era, which is premised on ethical leadership, oneness, communal values, dignity, and collective responsibility. While curriculum reforms foster compulsory undertakings of citizenship education, the involvement of parents or guidance in the pursuit is resourceful in bridging the gap between school-based learning and real-world application. Through societal platforms, awareness can be strengthened to build morally upright individuals who can comprehend, and fulfil their civic responsibilities, further guiding the younger generation in the same direction. Subsequent studies may triangulate the key findings with grassroots realities and conceptualise a more comprehensive framework towards Afrocentric citizenship education attainment.
Keywords: Afrocentrism, Citizenship Education, Civil Accountability, Corruption Misgovernance
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Dr Ishmael Iwara, a rated researcher by the South African National Research Foundation (NRF), is a development economist. He earned PhD and Master’s in Rural Development, specialising in economics, entrepreneurship and agriculture. Other qualifications include a Bachelor of Arts Honours in African Studies and a Bachelor of Science Honours in Economics. His academic journey includes postdoctoral research positions at Carleton University in Canada, the University of KwaZulu-Natal, the University of Venda and the North-West University in South Africa. Dr Iwara’s evolving research focuses on entrepreneurship modelling, entrepreneurial universities, business efficacy, rural development imperatives, and sustainability.
Professor Victor Ojakorotu is a scholar of International Relations and an Astute Professor at the North West University, South Africa. He is also an Honorary Professor at the Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University (SMU) South Africa. He holds a PhD in International Relations from the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa. A First Class Honours graduate (BSc) from the prestigious Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria in International Relations and an MSc. Degree in the same school. He has actively worked in various capacities as an academic of repute in the last 28 years, specifically, he worked for Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, University of Kwazulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, and Monash University, Johannesburg. Currently, he holds a position as Deputy Director, at the School of Government Studies, North-West University, Mafikeng – South Africa and was recently appointed as an Honorary Professor at the Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University (SMU) South Africa. His research interests span several areas which are not limited to peace and conflict issues, social movements, environmentalism, peace advocacy and inter-ethnic harmony in local communities in Africa.
Iwara, Ishmael and Victor Ojakorotu. “Afrocentric Citizenship Education: A Resource for Good Governance and Economic Resuscitation in Post-Colonial Africa,” E-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences 6, no.2 (2025): 169-184. https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.20256211
© 2025 The Author(s). Published and Maintained by Noyam Journals. This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
