Experts in political economy and media have urged African countries to strategically engage with leading emerging economies, better known as BRICS, to achieve concrete industrialisation, boost intra-African trade and reduce dependency on foreign economies.

BRICS is an intergovernmental organisation comprising Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iran, the Russian Federation, South Africa, and the United Arab Emirates.

Professor of Comparative Political Economy at the University of Lagos, UNILAG, Adelaja Odukoya, warned that while dedollarisation initiatives and alternative financial architectures from BRICS could reduce Africa’s vulnerability to Western monetary policies and foster greater sovereignty, the benefits remain uncertain.

Odukoya spoke in Lagos on ‘BRICS, Dedollarization and Africa’s Development: Rhetoric, Reality and Radical Possibilities,’ at a conference organised by Institute of African and Diaspora Studies and Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Lagos in partnership with Glotan Research Services.

Meanwhile, Professor Gilbert Motsaathebe of the Department of Journalism, Film and Media Studies, North-West University, Mmabatho, South Africa, argued that mainstream development paradigms, rooted in Western ideas, have devalued African ways of viewing the world.

Motsaathebe, who spoke on ‘On Africa’s (Under)Development, Indigenous Knowledge Systems and Epistemologies: Prognosis and Agitations,’ called for the integration of indigenous knowledge into academic curricula, policy frameworks, and community practices to forge a self-determined and culturally grounded path for Africa’s future.

He highlighted the urgent need to centre indigenous knowledge systems from ecological management and medicine to governance and education as vital resources for addressing contemporary challenges.

Other participants at the conference Prof Kayode Eesuola and Professor Adelaja Odukoya, University of Lagos, Professor Josephine Mudau, University of Venda, Professor Hofisi Costa, Professor Siziba, Professor Victor Ojakorotu- North West University, Professor Toyin Adetiba- University of Zululand and Professor Dominique U, University of Johannesburg South Africa and Dr Kazeem Lamidi, Faculty of Administration, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, Osun State