The education that Africa needs

[Applause]

my talk today is about the future

of innovation and education in africa

the future of africa is private very

broad

if and only if we rethink

education because education is the

weapon with which

we can use to change the world and that

is a big statement

because regardless of what you do

education is solid

productive education

is the foundation for everything whether

we were talking

whether we are talking about the

agrarian economy

the industrial economy the information

economy

or the fourth industrial revolution that

is coming up

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the future of innovation

and education in africa is brand

but there are lots of obstacles

africa is one of the richest continent

but it continues to forest people on end

it all mentions economic social

health and the like so something is

wrong

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something is drastically wrong how do

countries or continents that have almost

nothing in terms of natural resources

compared to africa

how have they propelled ahead

how are they now ahead of africa

in the 60s there was this being talked

about africa rising

in 2018 2019

there was also talk about africa rising

africa has always been rising rise and

rising but has

never taken off the ground in the 60s

the theory the economic theory was at

all

asian countries they have a tough role

ahead of them

thank goodness for africa africa has

enormous resources

the era of organization is over

with africa’s resources fantastic

weather

and energetic and creative people

the future of africa is great africa is

the continent to look

towards asia would have come from

fast forward to critique one africa

is far behind asia

or any other continent for that matter

asia has practically nothing compared to

africa

why is this the case

the quality and value

of education while africa sat

satisfied with a colonial education

system

other countries realized the value of

education great education i’m not

talking about

education of just going through motion

of

reading writing arithmetic attending

classes

and not knowing what you are doing why

you are doing what you are doing

for whom you are doing what you can do

no analytical process thing

system in that process

now the other countries that have

really invested in education have

referred

education because asia also was

colonized but as africa was

but the key difference is that

one community

put a lot of importance and emphasis

and reflects the educational system to

serve their needs

we need to rethink

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our education system

when we rethink it we must start

with the purpose of our application

system

not by copying cambridge

not by cutting oxford not by copying

mit blindly yes

we need best practices we need to know

what these institutions do

for them to be where they are for them

to be able

to produce competent people

skilled people in science in technology

in business

in law in all the fields that matter

we need to do that but we cannot do that

blindly

we need to pause and rethink why has the

educational system that we have

failed it did not fail because of the

people

africans are very smart i have been all

over the world

and you know it

what has happened

is our educational system from primary

school

all the way to the universities they

take smart

young africans and put them through the

radar of incompetence

of road learning of memorization

of silence of lack of critical thinking

and then jump so by the time a

smartphone goes through that

process of justified listen because i’m

the boss and the teacher

you don’t know anything i tell you what

i want you to know

and i’m telling you useless things

telling you about abraham lincoln

telling you about church hill talking to

you about speak

about park standard livingston

and all these colonizing personalities

automatically knew about the history of

the dogon of money that they are one of

the

best astronomers on earth even as we

speak

without the hubble space station they

were able to map the universe series a

series b

stars and their mastery of astronomy

that they recorded one thousand years

ago was validated

by the hubble space in a telescope

recently and the world is smart how did

these natives

get this technology it must have been

given to them by daily

they’ll never tell you about

achievements of the newbies

the master pyramid builders you hear

that arab spirits in pyramid in

egypt but the one he can’t think i would

think

there is no pyramid in saudi arabia

there’s no pyramid in germany

not one in syria not one in any arab

country

but there are thousands of pyramids in

sudan today

and they knew their troll egypt and the

face of the states in egypt has a

knowledge of an african the features of

an african not the features of an

africans

that no society no community ever built

technology

the most advanced technology in another

society

they’ve always built it at home your

education have had to do that

your education never told you that the

first c-section was performed in uganda

if i were to ask and i have done this

many ugandans

where was the first c-section performed

they have no clue they will say uk the

us

china any place on earth portugal

science technology innovation

creativity is not based on age

it is not based on who is older

it is based on who has an active

imaginative

mind and that is what you need

it is based on people who are so

invested

what is out there in the stars why does

that start blinking

how do we get from here to the moon

how do we get to mars what is beyond our

planet

those are the kinds of questions

people ask and the good educational

system

will help them to find the answers to

those questions

a good educational system will

have teachers who will say

my daughter i don’t know why this thing

is that way let us try and find out

let us look for another why these things

happen

a bad one was a shut up see that we are

when we are doing the history

now you want to show the class that you

know better than me

that’s a bad education system it shuts

the child

down and it made you cry two plus two

four

three plus three six come exam time two

plus two

four three plus three six a good key to

fast

but what does that mean happy what line

how does three plus three become six

although i’d rather

so we cannot count on that kind of

education system

for our future we must retain it

we must rethink it with one main

question in mind to what end

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what is the purpose of education is it

to acquire

a zillion certificates

so we can go out and say introducing

chief doctor

professor engineer god knows what f d

c d a b d d whatever it is

and allow a big round of applause

but the engineer with all the titles

cannot be on the road is that the

purpose

is the purpose of our education to

glorify

other cultures and the achievement of

others

at the expense of our achievement

our education does not teach us who we

are

it does not glorify our achievements

most africans do not know who the males

are but the most

african world europe you will not find

that in european textbooks

african textbooks are full

of colonial personalities we learn five

colonial personalities we build emphasis

for them

we name schools after that

but not after us because we do not know

who we are

and the colloidal education is purposely

designed for you not to know who you are

so you can become proper natives and

can be colonized the colonial power is

bringing you civilization

it’s bringing you new ways of thinking

there are ways of thinking

you forget about tears

that is not what our educational system

should be

an outcome of a colonial education

because the only jobs available then or

the only thing you can do

or the reason why you went to school is

to go start the colonial government

as an administrator

today in the age of information

technology

when we are looking forward to the

fourth industrial revolution

you can create your own job it’s called

a global village

you can sit in cantala you can see it in

nairobi

as well and be able

to create a global mind create a problem

so the future of africa is right

but we must rethink education we can

relate it in a formal

way and we can rethink it in an informal

way you

as an african what must you do to become

aware of who you are

to become aware of the fact that

education

not guess what is the basis

for which we innovate africa can do it

i am confident it can i will do my part

and i encourage you to do your part

this great continent can contribute

immensely to our own welfare

and to the welfare of others i thank you