Develop African-based Solutions To Solve Problems Confronting Africa, Prof Olukoshi Tells Leaders

*Says leadership crisis one of major factors hindering development in Africa

By; BAYO AKAMO, Ibadan

A Nigerian and Don at the Wits School of Governance, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa, Professor Adebayo Olukoshi has charged African leaders and scholars to develop African-based solutions to solve the array of social problems confronting the Africa continent.

Speaking on Thursday as keynote speaker at the opening of the second annual Ibadan International Social Science Conference, organised by the Faculty of the Social Sciences, University of Ibadan, Prof Olukoshi called on
African leaders to develop home-grown solutions to Africa problems

In the keynote presentation titled, “Social Sciences for changing times”, Prof Olukoshi maintained that it is only home-grown solutions that can solve the myriad of problems confronting the continent.

According to the Don, most of the western ideologies and theories have failed to address the peculiar problems in identified leadership crisis as one of the major causes hindering development in Africa. .

Stressing that leadership crisis stands as one of the major causes hindering development in Africa, he noted that there is the need for African leaders and scholars to develop African-based solutions to solve the array of social problems confronting the continent.

” By now, we should begin to think of how to have our own solutions. For us in Africa, it is time to train people who will think in a way to provide solutions. Our curriculum and reward system have to be changed. We are in the position to change it,” he said .

The University Don added, ” There is no continent that has been enslaved more than Africans. But if Africa withdraws its resources, I can tell you that the whole of Europe will be in crisis. It is about leadership. Every government comes in with its own agent. Nobody is looking at what has happened in the past. No country transforms in such a way”.

“Chinese know where they want to be at the end of the 21st century. Some people are now thinking about how to populate Mars. They will leave us behind, then we will be going there as tourists with a visa to enter there. So, it is about leadership, it is about thinking about the future, thinking of many years to come”.

Emphasizing that successive governments and regimes in most of the African countries have been marred with leadership crisis and lack of vision, Prof Olukoshi said purposive governance that can change the status quo have eluded the continent for many years.

While charging African scholars and leaders to develop an African-based curriculum that will be used to train future leaders in the continent, he called on African government at all levels to develop a curriculum that will address the needs of the people.

Vice Chancellor, University of Ibadan, Prof. Kayode Adebowale in his remarks said the theme of the conference titled, “Social Science in a changing world : Challenges, socio-economic adaptation and resilience”, was not only timely, but critically urgent particularly in an era characterized by unprecedented volatility, complexities, technological destruction, geo- political strives and inequalities among others

The Vice Chancellor tasked scholars at the conference to ensure that researches carried out are translated into tangible policy recommendations and actionable community interventions.

He also emphasized the need to equip students with not only disciplinary expertise but critical thinking, skills to make them ethically grounded and the ability to apply their knowledge to solving world’s problems and building enduring resilience for the country and the continent.