Lifelong learning and African development

Abstract

This article that is located within the alternative knowledge systems paradigm, discusses both the ancient and modern concepts of lifelong learning in relation to Africa’s development. It identifies ancient Greece’s education and African traditional education as two ancient lifelong learning typologies relevant to the current discussion. Ancient Greece’s education is a forerunner to modern education while African traditional education is one typology of education that remains relevant to African developmental aspirations. The modern concept of lifelong learning highlighted in this article is the one made popular by the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO). The article reviews the socialisation processes and worldviews prevalent within the West and Africa alongside the 50%, 40% and 7% Africa’s best primary, secondary and tertiary education success rates respectively and concludes that incongruity between the two socialisation processes and worldviews are responsible for this nearly two-century-old modest contribution of modern education to Africa’s development. Consequently, the article concludes that only a combination of both modern and African lifelong learning would expedite Africa’s socio-economic development.