About us
Our Vision
This network researches, re-centers, and harnesses African indigenous knowledge through collaboration with custodians like elders, traditional leaders, and youth. It aims to restore authenticity and counter the historical silencing of African wisdom.
The Network connects African indigenous knowledge with technology and global ideas through an interdisciplinary approach. We foster cross-cultural learning on reconciliation and decolonization, linking initiatives in Canada with decolonization efforts in Africa.
The Network will work with various community groups to re-center the authenticity of African epistemology on various issues such as traditional governance, food security, ecosystem, biodiversity, agriculture, arts, folklores, technology, climate change, human and animal health, animal reproduction, natural resource management, conservation and environmental protection. Through international collaboration on issues and challenges important to Indigenous communities globally, we aim to strengthen institutional capacities related to Indigenous-led research, community engagement, and intercultural communication, understanding, and cooperation.
Our Mission
The mission of the network is to engage universities in Africa and Carleton University, Indigenous community members, and organizations to align with the strategic goal of internationalization of research and engagement with Indigenous communities. This project will contribute to strengthening the research capacity of Indigenous junior scholars, such as early career scholars, postdoctoral fellows, and graduate students.
Through community-based participatory research initiatives, we aim to bring together Indigenous-led consultations with prospective research hubs and Indigenous community partners in Africa and Canada.
In Addition
We aim to establish research hubs, train researchers in Indigenous-led methodologies, and build ethical partnerships with Indigenous youth, communities, and scholars in Africa and Canada.
We plan to host an annual conference on African Indigenous Knowledge Systems and Development, engage in global academic panels, and organize policy roundtables to integrate Indigenous knowledge into policymaking and community development.
Who We Are
Our community-based participatory research initiative is dedicated to promoting the socio-economic health and wellbeing of Indigenous youth and communities in Africa and Canada. Our goal is to co-create and co-generate research designs, project objectives, and community-led interventions with Indigenous youth and community partners.
AIKRN & First Nations University of Canada
As part of our mission to reclaim and re-center Indigenous knowledge systems, the Africa Indigenous Knowledge Research Network (AIKRN) is proud to partner with the First Nations University of Canada (FNUniv). This strategic collaboration bridges continents, bringing together African and Indigenous Canadian communities to foster knowledge exchange, academic collaboration, and youth empowerment.
About the Partnership
This collaboration reflects a shared commitment to decolonizing education, advancing Indigenous-led research, and promoting community-rooted solutions to global challenges. Through this partnership, AIKRN and FNUniv work together to:
Strengthen Indigenous knowledge systems through collaborative research
Promote cross-cultural learning and intergenerational dialogue
Create platforms for youth leadership, mentorship, and innovation
Support the documentation and dissemination of traditional knowledge in digital and academic spaces
