Education, Creativity, and Economic Empowerment in Africa


Book Description

Education and the arts offer multiple, mutually clarifying lenses through which to examine and understand issues of poverty and empowerment. Here, both are combined in a fascinating look at how these two often overlooked elements promote social equality and cultivate personal agency across Africa's diverse political-economic landscapes.




Indigenous Knowledge and Education in Africa


Book Description

This open access book presents a strong philosophical, theoretical and practical argument for the mainstreaming of indigenous knowledge in curricula development, and in teaching and learning across the African continent. Since the dawn of political independence in Africa, there has been an ongoing search for the kind of education that will create a class of principled and innovative citizens who are sensitive to and committed to the needs of the continent. When indigenous or environment-generated knowledge forms the basis of learning in classrooms, learners are able to immediately connect their education with their lived reality. The result is much introspection, creativity and innovation across fields, sectors and disciplines, leading to societal transformation. Drawing on several theoretical assertions, examples from a wide range of disciplines, and experiences gathered from different continents at different points in history, the book establishes that for education to trigger the necessary transformation in Africa, it should be constructed on a strong foundation of learners’ indigenous knowledge. The book presents a distinct and uncharted pathway for Africa to advance sustainably through home-grown and grassroots based ideas, leading to advances in science and technology, growth of indigenous African business and the transformation of Africans into conscious and active participants in the continent’s progress. Indigenous Knowledge and Education in Africa is of interest to educators, entrepreneurs, policymakers, researchers and individuals engaged in finding sustainable and strategic solutions to regional and global advancement.




Higher Education and Policy for Creative Economies in Africa


Book Description

The book reflects on the role of the creative economies in a range of African countries (namely Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa and Uganda). Chapters explore how creative economies emerge and can be supported in African countries. The contributors focus on two key dimensions: the role of higher education and the role of policy. Firstly, they consider the role of higher education and alternative forms of specialised education to reflect on how the creative aspirations of students (and future creative workers) of these countries are met and developed. Secondly, they explore the role of policy in supporting the agendas of the creative economy, taking also into consideration the potential historical dimension of policy interventions and the impact of a lack of policy frameworks. The book concludes by reflecting on how these two pillars of creative economy development, which are usually taken for granted in studying creative economies in the global north, need to be understood with their own specificity in the context of our selected case studies in Africa. This book will be of interest to students, scholars and professionals researching the creative economies in Africa across the humanities and social sciences. All the royalties from the publication of this book will be donated to the not-for-profit organisation The Craft and Design Institute (CDI) (https://www.thecdi.org.za/) in South Africa, supporting capacity building for young creative practitioners from disadvantaged backgrounds.




Your Entrepreneurship Journey


Book Description

You do not have to go through hurdles to start your Entrepreneurship Journey. There is no need to fail due to lack of knowledge, skills and information of how to start, maintain and grow your business.As entrepreneurs we are creative with the ideas of the business we want to innovate but the challenge comes when you want to understand how to bring it into reality. The journey becomes tough and unpredictable if you do not have sense of direction of what tools you need, what skills you need to learn, what you will need to get the business ideas to reality. As an Entrepreneur this is an Easy guide book that educates you on the information you need to get your business up and running. If you already started and have an existing business, it helps you ease the challenges you might be facing.The book will walk with you through your journey as an entrepreneur . Let us do this you will never walk alone again as an entrepreneur.




Leapfrogging Inequality


Book Description

Exemplary stories of innovation from around the world In an age of rising inequality, getting a good education increasingly separates the haves from the have nots. In countries like the United States, getting a good education is one of the most promising routes to upper-middle-class status, even more so than family wealth. Experts predict that by 2030, 825 million children will reach adulthood without basic secondary-level skills, and it will take a century for the most marginalized youth to achieve the educational levels that the wealthiest enjoy today. But these figures do not even account for the range of skills and competencies needed to thrive today in work, citizenship, and life. In a world where the ability to manipulate knowledge and information, think critically, and collaboratively solve problems are essential to thrive, access to a quality education is crucial for all young people. In Leapfrogging Inequality, researchers chart a new path for global education by examining the possibility of leapfrogging—harnessing innovation to rapidly accelerate educational progress—to ensure that all young people develop the skills they need for a fast-changing world. Analyzing a catalog of nearly 3,000 global education innovations, the largest such collection to date, researchers explore the potential of current practices to enable such a leap. As part of this analysis, the book presents an evidence-based framework for getting ahead in education, which it grounds in the here-and-now by narrating exemplary stories of innovation from around the world. Together, these stories and resources will inspire educators, investors, leaders of nongovernmental organizations, and policymakers alike to rally around a new vision of educational progress—one that ensures we do not leave yet another generation of young people behind.




Delivering Entrepreneurship Education in Africa


Book Description

Delivering Entrepreneurship Education in Africa brings together a collection of academic studies that offer an in-depth analysis of the current state of entrepreneurship education in Africa. The chapter authors engage discussions on how to make entrepreneurship education an attractive field of study for African students.




Developing Creative Economies in Africa


Book Description

Bringing together the experience of academics and practitioners, this book discusses creative economies in Africa, focusing on changing dynamics related to working, co-working and clustering. The contributors in this volume examine how strategies and opportunities such as co-working spaces, clustering and hubs facilitate the emergence of creative industries in a range of African countries including Kenya, Uganda, South Sudan, Nigeria, Tanzania and South Africa. They also consider the importance of creative intermediaries in providing opportunities and platforms for the development of creative economies in Africa. The chapters present a range of case studies and practices that engage with how creative and cultural producers embrace some of the limits and challenges of their local context to creatively deliver opportunities for economic as well as social and cultural development in their cities and regions. This book will be of interest to students, scholars and professionals researching the creative economies in Africa across the humanities and social sciences. All the royalties from the publication of this book will be donated to the not-for-profit organisation The Craft and Design Institute (CDI) (https://www.thecdi.org.za/) in South Africa, supporting capacity building for young creative practitioners from disadvantaged backgrounds.




Educational Research and Innovation Fostering Students' Creativity and Critical Thinking What it Means in School


Book Description

Creativity and critical thinking are key skills for complex, globalised and increasingly digitalised economies and societies. While teachers and education policy makers consider creativity and critical thinking as important learning goals, it is still unclear to many what it means to develop these skills in a school setting. To make it more visible and tangible to practitioners, the OECD worked with networks of schools and teachers in 11 countries to develop and trial a set of pedagogical resources that exemplify what it means to teach, learn and make progress in creativity and critical thinking in primary and secondary education.




Handbook of Research on Nurturing Industrial Economy for Africa’s Development


Book Description

A robust manufacturing sector is a necessity and a sufficient condition for any country’s human and economic development as it creates employment and alleviates poverty. During this Fourth Industrial Revolution era, there is an urgent need in Africa to optimally utilize the existing resources to support manufacturing or else risk allowing the continent to fall behind in the industrial economy. Innovative strategies are needed that can unlock Africa’s manufacturing potential by exploring key areas that may help Africa mature and launch modernized economies that will benefit the developed world’s industrial economy. The Handbook of Research on Nurturing Industrial Economy for Africa’s Development examines various innovations necessary for Africa’s economic development including drivers of the manufacturing economy such as education, agriculture, human capital, science and technological innovations, language, politics, and business environments. The book explores strategies to increase Africa’s economic diversity, complexity, productivity, and ultimately competitiveness, and for the continent to realize its manufacturing/industrial potential. Further, chapters focus on African countries’ industrial economies in the African context and facilitating the fulfillment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the African Union’s Agenda 2063. This book is a valuable reference tool for government officials, economists, industrialists, practitioners, stakeholders, researchers, academicians, and students interested in the industrial economic development of Africa.




Handbook of Research on Using Global Collective Intelligence and Creativity to Solve Wicked Problems


Book Description

Today’s world is continually facing complex and life-threatening issues that are too difficult or even impossible to solve. These challenges have been titled “wicked” problems due to their radical and multifarious nature. Recently, there has been a focus on global cooperation and gathering creative and diverse methods from around the world to solve these issues. Accumulating research and information on these collective intelligence methods is vital in comprehending current international issues and what possible solutions are being developed through the use of global collaboration. The Handbook of Research on Using Global Collective Intelligence and Creativity to Solve Wicked Problems is a pivotal reference source that provides vital research on the collaboration between global communities in developing creative solutions for radical worldwide issues. While highlighting topics such as collaboration technologies, neuro-leadership, and sustainable global solutions, this publication explores diverse collections of problem-solving methods and applying them on a global scale. This book is ideally designed for scholars, researchers, students, policymakers, strategists, economists, and educators seeking current research on problem-solving methods using collective intelligence and creativity.