By Lovemore Lubinda
The Southern African Development Community is moving to place Indigenous Knowledge Systems at the centre of the region’s development agenda, with SADC Executive Secretary Elias M. Magosi saying the knowledge held by communities must be preserved, documented and turned into practical solutions for industrialisation, food security and climate resilience.
Magosi made the remarks during a visit to the African Institute in Indigenous Knowledge Systems, AIIKS, at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in Durban on Wednesday.
The visit comes a day before the SADC Public Lecture at UKZN on 14 August, where His Excellency President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa, in his capacity as SADC Chairperson, will deliver the keynote address.
At AIIKS, a UNESCO Category 2 Centre, Magosi met Prof. H.O. Kaya, Director of the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation–National Research Foundation Centre of Excellence in Indigenous Knowledge Systems and Coordinator of AIIKS.
The discussions focused on a proposed framework for collaboration between SADC and the institute.
The framework looks at how Indigenous knowledge, youth innovation and digital technologies can be linked to support regional priorities.
Key areas identified include value addition to local resources, climate-smart agriculture, environmental conservation, and building sustainable livelihoods.
“Indigenous knowledge is an important regional asset that must be preserved, documented and passed on to future generations,” Magosi said. “But preservation alone is not enough. We must also ensure there is greater value addition within the region so that our communities benefit directly.”
Prof. Kaya and the AIIKS team presented the institute’s approach of connecting Indigenous Knowledge Systems with contemporary science, technology and innovation.
AIIKS brings together researchers, communities and Indigenous knowledge holders to co-develop solutions to real problems, from drought-resistant crops to traditional medicine and natural resource management.
A particular focus of the proposed SADC-AIIKS partnership is young people. The plan includes strengthening regional youth networks, creating platforms for innovation exchanges, and supporting initiatives that apply Indigenous knowledge in agriculture, climate resilience and conservation.
During the visit, Magosi also received presentations from young learners participating in AIIKS programmes. The students showcased projects they are running in their communities, demonstrating how traditional knowledge is being combined with digital tools to address local challenges.
He later toured exhibition displays at the institute featuring research, community-based initiatives and examples of Indigenous knowledge in practice.
Magosi was accompanied by senior SADC officials including Dr. Mike Masiye, Director of Policy Planning and Resource Mobilisation; Dhunraj Kassee, Director of Industrial Development and Trade; Maxwell Parakokwa, Acting Director of Social and Human Development; and other members of the SADC Secretariat.
The engagement, officials said, highlighted the potential for stronger cooperation between SADC, UKZN and AIIKS. The goal is to ensure that Indigenous knowledge is not only protected but also contributes meaningfully to the region’s economic transformation and sustainable development goals.
The push comes at a time when SADC member states are looking for homegrown solutions to persistent challenges. Climate change, food insecurity and youth unemployment remain pressing across the 16-member bloc. Proponents argue that Indigenous knowledge offers time-tested practices in areas such as seed preservation, water management, biodiversity conservation and community health that can complement modern science.
Regional integration experts note that leveraging Indigenous knowledge also aligns with SADC’s broader industrialisation strategy, which calls for greater value addition to natural and cultural resources within the region instead of exporting raw materials.
The timing of Magosi’s visit is significant. On Thursday, President Ramaphosa will address the SADC Public Lecture at UKZN. As SADC Chair, Ramaphosa is expected to speak on regional unity, development and innovation. The inclusion of Indigenous knowledge on the agenda signals that traditional expertise is being positioned as part of the policy conversation at the highest level.
For UKZN and AIIKS, the partnership would provide a direct link to SADC policy processes and regional programmes, while giving the community of 16 countries access to a research hub that already works with knowledge holders across Southern Africa.
Magosi concluded the visit by commending the students and researchers for their work and urging that such initiatives be scaled up across the region.
“These young people are showing us that Indigenous knowledge is not about looking backwards. It is about using what we have always known, combined with new tools, to build the future we want for Southern Africa,” he said.
With the SADC Public Lecture set for Thursday, the message from Durban is clear: the region’s development path will need to draw not only from global technology and investment, but also from the knowledge systems that have sustained Southern African communities for generations. -SADC News
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