A KNOWLEDGE ENGINE DRIVING AFRICA'S DEVELOPMENT

‘The co-constitutive nature of local and global interests, disjunctive flows of capital, information, people, and knowledge on the global knowledgescape and the new politics of knowledge capital, are making their impact on economic and social behaviour.’ Steve Banhegyi

New communities and networks across social and political borders forged by quickening flows of people and information worldwide have given rise to a globalised knowledge community. Different patterns of knowledge, research alliances, and social relationships are emerging.

Increasingly sophisticated communications and information technologies have enabled new forms of community and knowledge exchange. Old boundaries and sovereignties are eroding as new formations take shape.

The need for a KM player on the African continent to provide leadership for enabling practice on the ‘how to’ of knowledge sharing to a diverse audience is glaring. That player would foster connections across varying boundaries to create a ‘knowledge bank’ that links expertise with demand.

KMAfrica proposes to be that knowledge engine that drives appropriate development solutions for Africa. Its mission is to promote the use of Africa's collective knowledge as a key development resource and establish knowledge management platforms that will create access to existing networks and facilitate the sharing and utilisation of knowledge across all sectors.

Its role will also be to advocate and enhance a policy environment in Africa that retains rather than alienates African knowledge and the skilled professionals who are continually being lost to the continent in exchange for expensive international personnel.

It will do so by providing a knowledge hub to facilitate networking and the mobilisation of various networks. The hub will create a discourse between continental and international experts on knowledge management, and facilitate the sharing of ideas and experiences. In so doing, it will develop a continental perspective on the interface between knowledge and development. In addition, the hub will connect institutions and organisations through a variety of forums: the internet, workshops, and other face-to-face interventions.

Knowledge for the successful social and economic transformation of Africa

To increase the ability to mobilise and deploy knowledge for the successful social and economic transformation of the continent, KMAfrica has begun to prepare the ground for mobilising three networks: governance, knowledge systems, and service delivery. These networks are aimed at creating an awareness of the extent to which knowledge is being used to inform development, and investigating the interface between knowledge management and sustainable development.

Networks to promote multidisciplinary knowledge exchange

KMAfrica envisages that these networks will provide the means to achieve its goals of promoting multidisciplinary knowledge exchange and multisectoral linkages with African knowledge; linking conventional and indigenous networks; enhancing the continent's capacity to access, share, and utilise knowledge; and strengthening the relationship among government, business, and civil society for improved governance and service delivery.

Stakeholder participation and cooperation

KMAfrica recognises that these ambitious goals cannot be achieved without the support and co-operation of a wide range of stakeholders on the continent and beyond. KMAfrica's target audience, therefore, includes policy-makers; knowledge-producing institutions; the research sector; the private sector; the public sector; national; regional, and international development agencies; financial institutions; sector professions; NGOs and CBOs; governments; and utilities and regulators. Collaborative and co-operative relationships based on access to knowledge for all would substantially increase the potential impact of their development interventions.

KMAfrica's strategic goals

Enhance the implementation of knowledge management in Africa.
Leverage the use of knowledge in policy and service delivery.
Promote partnerships among the public sector, private sector, and civil society in the creation, synthesis and use of knowledge.
Build knowledge management networks that will enable the creation and utilisation of knowledge.
Build an institutional infrastructure that will facilitate the implementation of the knowledge management mandate across Africa.

A KNOWLEDGE ENGINE DRIVING AFRICA'S DEVELOPMENT

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