Staff and Faculty Archives - Institute of African Studies

Second Ottawa/Uganda NGO Forum: Opportunities, Challenges, and Solutions for Canadian NGOs in Uganda.

GabrielHabiyaremye — Fri, 16 Oct 2026 14:27:44 +0000

Join Us at the Second Ottawa/Uganda NGO Forum —connecting changemakers face-to-face!

Agnes Zabali Boys and Girls Club () in partnership with the Institute of African Studies, School of Interdisciplinary Studies at �Ӱ�ԭ�� University, invites you for this exciting in-person gathering where Canadian NGOs connected to Uganda will share experiences, discuss challenges, and explore collaboration opportunities. �Ӱ�ԭ�� community will also gain valuable insights into interdisciplinary studies and international development.

Passionate folks from Ottawa and Uganda come together to share ideas, collaborate, and make a difference. Whether you’re part of an NGO or just curious, this is the perfect chance to connect and learn. Don’t miss out on this fun, engaging event!

Revitalising Indigenous Food Systems: Value Addition and Youth Entrepreneurship

GabrielHabiyaremye — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 14:57:48 +0000

As part of the AIKRN Webinar Series, the Africa Indigenous Knowledge Research Network (AIKRN) and the Institute of African Studies at �Ӱ�ԭ�� University invite you to join us for:

Revitalising Indigenous Food Systems: Value Addition and Youth Entrepreneurship

Date: October 15, 2026
Time: 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM (ET)
Venue: Online via Zoom

�Ӱ�ԭ�� the Webinar

Indigenous food systems represent some of the world’s most resilient and sustainable approaches to food production, processing, distribution, and consumption. Many indigenous crops are well adapted to local environmental conditions and can withstand drought, heat, pests, and poor soils, making them important resources for climate adaptation, biodiversity conservation, food and nutrition security, and resilient food systems.

At the same time, youth unemployment remains a major challenge, particularly in rural communities. Agriculture and food enterprises offer significant opportunities for employment and income generation, yet many young people continue to face barriers such as limited access to finance, land, infrastructure, technology, markets, and viable business opportunities.

The webinar, “Revitalising Indigenous Food Systems: Value Addition and Youth Entrepreneurship,” will explore how indigenous foods and knowledge can be transformed into innovative, profitable, and sustainable enterprises for young people.

By bringing together researchers, policymakers, Indigenous knowledge holders, youth entrepreneurs, farmers, private-sector actors, investors, development partners, civil society organizations, and other stakeholders, the webinar will provide a platform for knowledge sharing, dialogue, networking, innovation, and collaboration.

Key Themes

The two-hour webinar will explore key areas including:

Indigenous knowledge for food, nutrition, and health;
Value addition and commercialization of indigenous foods;
Youth entrepreneurship and innovation;
Food science, processing, and product development;
Sustainable economic development;
Finance and investment for indigenous food enterprises;
Technology, digital marketing, and market development;
Policy, standards, and institutional support for indigenous food systems.

The webinar will also highlight opportunities for young entrepreneurs to engage in areas such as food production, seed multiplication, processing, packaging, branding, product development, e-commerce, digital marketing, agritourism, indigenous restaurants, nutrition enterprises, and export marketing.

Youth Innovation Showcase

A special Youth Innovation Showcase will provide selected young entrepreneurs with an opportunity to present indigenous-food businesses and innovations and receive feedback from technical experts, researchers, investors, and other stakeholders.

Interactive discussions will focus particularly on finance, technology and processing, and policy and standards, with the goal of identifying practical actions and potential partnerships.

Proposed Speakers and Panelists

Prof. S. O. Oloruntoba
Founder, Africa Indigenous Knowledge Research Network
Institute of African Studies, �Ӱ�ԭ�� University, Canada

Prof. V. N. Enughuija
Professor of Biotechnology and Food Product Development
Federal University of Technology, Akure, Nigeria

Prof. Oluwamukomi
Professor of Food Process Technology and Food Product Development
Bamidele Olumilua University of Education, Science and Technology, Ikere-Ekiti, Nigeria

Prof. I. B. Oluwalana
Professor of Post-Harvest Technology
Federal University of Technology, Akure, Nigeria

Moderator

Dr. O. M. Lawal
Lecturer, Department of Food Science and Technology
Federal University of Technology, Akure, Nigeria

Expected Outcomes

The webinar seeks to strengthen indigenous food systems as pathways for youth entrepreneurship and employment, climate resilience, food and nutrition security, biodiversity conservation, sustainable livelihoods, innovation, and inclusive economic development.

By combining Indigenous knowledge, food science, modern processing technologies, entrepreneurship, investment, digital innovation, and market development, the webinar aims to demonstrate how indigenous food systems can become strategic assets for sustainable livelihoods and resilient communities.

The webinar will ultimately focus on transforming indigenous food resources and knowledge into viable, innovative, and sustainable enterprises, particularly for young people.

AIKRN Youth Forum Webinar Series 2026: From Margins to Markets: Indigenous Youth Engagement in AfCFTA

GabrielHabiyaremye — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 20:30:13 +0000

As part of the AIKRN Youth forum�� Webinar Series, the Africa Indigenous Knowledge Research Network (AIKRN) and the Institute of African Studies at �Ӱ�ԭ�� University, Invite you to join us for: ” From Margins to Markets: Indigenous Youth Engagement in AfCFTA”
The Africa Indigenous Knowledge Research Network (AIKRN) Youth Forum will host a virtual webinar on Thursday, September 17, 2026, exploring how Indigenous youth can move from the margins of African trade discussions toward greater participation in markets and policymaking under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
The webinar aims to amplify Indigenous youth voices, increase understanding of AfCFTA, highlight economic opportunities available to Indigenous youth, identify barriers to market participation, and promote a more inclusive implementation of AfCFTA policies.
This webinar will feature discussions on opportunities for Indigenous youth under AfCFTA, barriers to participation in trade, and policy changes needed to support greater inclusion in African and cross-border markets.

Panelists

Mr. Hosi Khosa—PhD Candidate in International Relations, University of Pretoria
Emolot Allan David – Chairperson, Independent Continental Youth Advisory Council on AfCFTA

Moderator

Khadija Amahal – AIKRN Youth Forum Northern Africa Coordinator

The webinar is expected to strengthen Indigenous youth’s understanding of AfCFTA, identify available economic opportunities, and encourage greater involvement of Indigenous youth in AfCFTA activities and cross-border trade.

Unlocking Sustainable Solutions for Youth Employment and Entrepreneurship through Indigenous Knowledge in Africa

GabrielHabiyaremye — Tue, 19 May 2026 13:48:21 +0000

The Africa Indigenous Knowledge Research Network (AIKRN), Institute of African Studies, �Ӱ�ԭ�� University with support from the Mastercard Foundation presents the launch of the final report on�� the project entitled

” Unlocking Sustainable Solutions for Youth Employment and Entrepreneurship through Indigenous Knowledge in Africa

Date and time: Wednesday May 27, 2026, 10am EST/3PM GMT/6PM EAT via Zoom

Registration link:

Overview
From 2023 to 2026, the Africa Indigenous Knowledge Research Network (AIKRN), Institute of African Studies, �Ӱ�ԭ�� University with support from the Mastercard Foundation carried out community-based research in Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda to understand how indigenous knowledge can promote youth employment and entrepreneurship. The research highlighted how young people are drawing on indigenous practices, values, and community-based institutions to drive entrepreneurship in diverse sectors such as agriculture, creative industries, health, and environmental sustainability. It also showed that indigenous knowledge systems (IKS) continue to serve as critical foundations for innovation, resilience, and livelihood creation.

Despite these contributions, policy and development frameworks often marginalize indigenous knowledge, privileging externally derived models of entrepreneurship. This disconnect limits the potential of African youth to leverage culturally grounded, locally relevant, and sustainable pathways to economic empowerment. There is therefore a need to amplify empirical insights from ongoing research and create platforms for dialogue among scholars, practitioners, and development partners. This webinar provides a unique platform for sharing valuable insights from the research. The objectives of the webinar include the following:

Share key findings from AIKRN–Mastercard Foundation collaborative research and reports on indigenous knowledge and youth entrepreneurship
Highlight case studies from diverse African communities
Foster dialogue on integrating indigenous knowledge into youth employment and entrepreneurship policies and programs

Audience: AIKRN members, researchers, community members, youth entrepreneurs, policy makers, AFRIAK members and fellows.

Expected Outcomes

Increased awareness of the role of indigenous knowledge in shaping youth entrepreneurship
Policy-relevant insights for integrating IKS into development programming
Strengthened collaboration between researchers, development partners, and practitioners

Proposed Agenda (1 Hour 45 Minutes)

10:00 – 10:10:��Welcome and Opening Remarks

Dr. Anne Bowker, Dean, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, �Ӱ�ԭ�� University
Dr. Eunice Muthengi, Director, Evidence and Learning Insights, Mastercard Foundation

10:10 – 10:15:��Introduction to the Africa Indigenous Knowledge Research Network (AIKRN,��Samuel Ojo Oloruntoba, founder, AIKRN

10:15 – 10:25:��Empowering Ijaw Youth through�� Indigenous Knowledge Entrepreneurship (Nigeria)-Adebowale Ayobade and Vincent Efebeh.
The presentation will explore informal trade networks, traditional birth attendance, traditional bone setting, fishing, cultural finance systems, and youth enterprise

10:25 – 10:35:��Empowering Maasai and Ogiek ��Youth Indigenous Knowledge and Entrepreneurship ��in (Tanzania and Kenya): Nerisa Kumar.
The presentation will examine pastoralist knowledge, indigenous health, eco-entrepreneurship, bee keeping, and innovation in climate adaptation

10:35 – 10:45:��Indigenous Knowledge and Youth Livelihoods among the Batwa (Uganda)-Judith Nagasha and Scorah Tumwebaze

The presentation will highlight forest-based livelihoods, indigenous health, agribusiness, ecotourism, and heritage enterprises

10:45 – 10:55:��Indigenous Knowledge and Cultural Entrepreneurship among the Abatwa and Nguni (South Africa)

Jabulile Mzimela and Lethiwe Zondo

The presentation will focus on indigenous crafts, cultural tourism, and identity-based entrepreneurship

10:55-11:05: Indigenous Knowledge and Youth Entrepreneurship among the Ogoni (Nigeria) –Kialee Nyiayaana and Baridole David Nwiado.
The presentation will focus on indigenous wine production, mat making, fishing and youth entrepreneurship

11:05 -11:35: Interactive Discussion and Q&A

11:35 – 11:45: Closing Reflections and Next Steps

Institute of African Studies Professional Development Symposium

GabrielHabiyaremye — Mon, 23 Mar 2026 14:04:19 +0000

Overview

We are bringing together professionals to discuss careers connected to Africa in a world shaped by policy shifts, aid cuts and uncertainties

Are you taking a course in African studies or Interested in Africa-focused careers? Wondering how to navigate a job market being reshaped by global uncertainty, changing development priorities, and AI?

Join us for a timely conversation on opportunity, adaptability, and building a meaningful professional path across sectors such as government, multilateral organisations, nonprofits, media, academia, and tech.

Whether your interests lie in government, nonprofits, media, academia, development, or tech, this event will help you understand where opportunities are emerging and how to position yourself to thrive.

Public Talk and Poetry Evening with Prof. Nimi Wariboko, Poet and Director, African Studies Center, Boston University

GabrielHabiyaremye — Fri, 20 Mar 2026 16:05:31 +0000

Register now for In-person participation��

Umeme Flash Point Series: Roundtable on Africa’s Future Amid Global Geopolitical Reset

GabrielHabiyaremye — Fri, 06 Mar 2026 16:16:36 +0000

The Institute of African Studies (IAS) at �Ӱ�ԭ�� University invites you to a timely Umeme Flash Point Series roundtable discussion exploring Africa’s position in an evolving global order.

As geopolitical alliances shift and global trade relationships are renegotiated, African countries face both new risks and emerging opportunities. Will African states remain peripheral in global negotiations, or will they play a stronger role in shaping the future of trade, investment, and international cooperation?

Join leading scholars and policy experts for an engaging discussion on Africa’s future amid ongoing geopolitical transformation and global trade realignment.

Date: March 18, 2026
Time: 12:30 PM (EST) | 5:30 PM (WAT)
Venue: In-person (2017 Dunton Tower, �Ӱ�ԭ�� University) and via Zoom

Panelists

Dr. Joseph Atta-Mensah, Senior Fellow, African Centre for Economic Transformation
Dr. Yolande Bouka, Associate Professor and Canada Research Chair in Afrofeminist Thought and Political Transformation, Queen’s University
Dr. Firoze Manji, Founder, Daraja Press and Adjunct Professor, �Ӱ�ԭ�� University

Moderator

Professor Nduka Otiono, Director, Institute of African Studies, �Ӱ�ԭ�� University��

For In-person participation, please r.
For online participation, please

The Man They Called “The Mad Mullah” Film Screening

GabrielHabiyaremye — Thu, 26 Feb 2026 19:35:07 +0000

The Institute of African Studies Graduate Students invite you to join us for a film screening of The Man They Called “The Mad Mullah”��on March 4 at 4:00 PM��in the Pius Adesanmi Resource Room (Dunton Tower 1706).

The film explores the life and legacy of Sayyid Mohammed Abdullah Hassan – often labeled “The Mad Mullah” by the British – who was a pivotal leader in Somali resistance against colonial rule. He challenged European colonial authority and mobilized emerging national consciousness. The film revisits his contested legacy, examining how colonial narratives shaped his image and how he remains a symbol of��Somali nationalism in the Horn of Africa.

Following the screening, we will hold an informal discussion reflecting on the histories of resistance, colonial narratives, and the politics of representation in the Horn of Africa. Beyond the film itself, we hope to foster thoughtful discussion, intellectual exchange, and community across disciplines.

Popcorn will be provided

Click the link below to RSVP:

Ubuntu translanguaging: Valuing local languages in community-engaged digital storytelling with isiXhosa-speaking Cape Flats residents to address environmental disaster risks

GabrielHabiyaremye — Mon, 09 Feb 2026 14:59:07 +0000

As part of the AIKRN Quarterly Webinar Series, the Africa Indigenous Knowledge Research Network (AIKRN) and the Institute of African Studies at �Ӱ�ԭ�� University, Invite you to join us for: “Ubuntu translanguaging: Valuing local languages in community-engaged digital storytelling with isiXhosa-speaking Cape Flats residents to address environmental disaster risks“.

Speaker: Prof. Tsitsi Mpofu-Mketwa,School of Social work, �Ӱ�ԭ�� University.

Date: March 30, 2026
Time: 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM (EST) or 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM GMT

Abstract:

This presentation draws on nine isiXhosa digital stories produced as part of an interdisciplinary research project that employed household surveys, participatory methods including community mapping, photovoice and digital storytelling. The project sought to co-produce knowledge and address community resilience against flooding, drought and fire disasters in three Cape Flats vulnerable communities. The co-researchers elucidated their experiences of disasters and their��understanding of resilience through digital storytelling. They emphasised ubuntu values of humanism and interdependency in framing their sense of resilience. Here we unpack why we recommend translanguaging- expanding boundaries of language use from the conventions of English to incorporate other meaning-making modes, including narrative scripts, creative art and linguistic tools to generate richer knowledge. By validating isiXhosa and other cultural identities, co-creating the concept of resilience and narrative analysis of isiXhosa scripts, we demonstrated that translanguaging is pivotal to decoloniality and enhances knowledge co-production in the context of environmental disaster risks.

�Ӱ�ԭ�� the speaker

Dr Tsitsi Mpofu-Mketwa joined �Ӱ�ԭ�� University in 2023, bringing in more than 15 years of experience in the academic and non-profit sectors. Tsitsi worked in the field of poverty and social development in the Cape Flats communities of Cape Town, with a specific focus on child protection social work, youth development, and women’s empowerment. Dr Mpofu-Mketwa’s research interests are in applied community-engaged and participatory research that draws on human development paradigms to build capacities of marginalized and most deprived communities in response to urban poverty and social exclusion. ��Dr Mpofu-Mketwa’s research aims to promote sustainable livelihoods in poverty contexts and understand how resilience, individual and collective agency contribute to social and human development. Dr Mpofu-Mketwa has taught sociology and social work courses on poverty, development, and community development at undergraduate and graduate levels. Dr Mpofu-Mketwa is actively involved in environmental advocacy by tackling invasive species to promote green spaces as part of green social work through the Greenspace Stewardship Committee of Alta Vista Community Association in Ottawa. Dr Mpofu-Mketwa holds a PhD degree in Sociology of Development and an MSoc Sci in Social Development from the University of Cape Town. She is currently the Director of the Centre for Studies on Poverty and Social Citizenship.

Democracy as Disempowerment: Insurgent Publics and the Political Economy of Post-1999 Nigeria

GabrielHabiyaremye — Mon, 26 Jan 2026 14:58:15 +0000

Join us for the Brownbag Seminar entitled ”��Democracy as Disempowerment: Insurgent Publics and the Political Economy of Post-1999 Nigeria” by��Professor Adelaja Odutola Odukoya��,�� Department of Political Science��University of Lagos, ��Nigeria

Abstract

The return of Nigeria from military authoritarianism to political democracy—distinct from economic democracy—on 29 May 1999 was greeted with widespread national and international support. This support was anchored on the assumption that democracy necessarily translates into good governance, improved material conditions, and the empowerment of the citizenry. Over more than two decades of uninterrupted civil rule, this philosophical assumption has hardened into a dangerous delusion. The existential conditions of Nigerians are today worse than they were in 1999, while the country has continued to regress deeper into an illiberal democratic order. This paper argues that this outcome is not accidental but is rooted in the unresolved tension between the political and economic foundations of democracy in Nigeria. While formal political rights and electoral competition have expanded, neoliberal restructuring—entrenched through the convergence of domestic political elites and transnational capital—has produced economic authoritarianism, mass dispossession, and systematic disempowerment. Democracy, in this context, has functioned less as an instrument of popular empowerment than as a legitimating framework for elite accumulation and state capture. Given Nigeria’s long history of resilience and resistance, the paper notes that Nigerians have not been passive in the face of democracy’s unrealised expectations. However, unlike the organised civil society and labour movements that were at the forefront of the struggles against military rule in the 1980s and 1990s, the contradictions generated by the post-1999 democratic order have produced what this paper conceptualises as insurgent publics. These insurgent publics, despite their deep misgivings about democracy and their desire for transformative change, are characterised by weak organisation, multiple and dispersed centres of action, incoherent or absent ideological orientation, and largely episodic interventions. Against this background, the paper contends that the struggle for popular empowerment in Nigeria has, in a fundamental sense, yet to begin. The insurgent publics remain too weak to constitute an effective counter-force against a predatory domestic political elite that has successfully deployed the mantra of democracy for state capture, and in alliance with transnational capital have institutionalised neoliberalism as a mechanism of economic authoritarianism and disempowerment. The paper also notes that the ideological puritanism and sectarianism of the Nigerian Left have further undermined this struggle. Suggestions are advanced towards a viable pathway for popular empowerment in Nigeria.

Keywords: EndBadGovernance; EndSARS; protest; social media; repression; civic resilience.

�Ӱ�ԭ�� the Speaker:

Professor Adelaja Odutola Odukoya, fspsp.

Adelaja Odutola Odukoya, PhD.; a scholar-activist, is a Professor of Comparative Political Economy at the Department of Political Science, University of Lagos, Nigeria. He is the Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences of the University and also doubles as the Chairman of the Joint Board of Postgraduate Studies at the Administrative Staff College, Topo, Badagry, Lagos, Nigeria. A fellow of the Society for Peace Studies and Practice (FSPSP), his research interest is oriented towards the intersection between the state, class power and accumulation as a basis of understanding the crisis and contradictions of peripheral capitalist development in Africa. He also works on concerns dealing with indigenous knowledge, development, democratization and governance crises in Africa among other areas. He is widely published with over fifty publications within and outside Nigeria in influential outlets.