{"id":42822,"date":"2026-09-10T05:06:52","date_gmt":"2026-09-10T05:06:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/?p=42822"},"modified":"2026-09-10T06:02:42","modified_gmt":"2026-09-10T06:02:42","slug":"prof-plo-lumumba-challenges-african-universities-to-reclaim-knowledgetechnology-and-the-future","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vut.ac.za\/st\/prof-plo-lumumba-challenges-african-universities-to-reclaim-knowledgetechnology-and-the-future\/","title":{"rendered":"Prof PLO Lumumba challenges African universities to reclaim knowledge,technology and the future"},"content":{"rendered":"

“Renowned Pan-African thought leader Prof PLO Lumumba challenged African universities to build research capacity, embrace technological sovereignty and drive Africa’s development through innovation.”<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

“09 September 2026 | Story by: Nontobeko Moimane<\/strong> | Picture:<\/strong> Keitumetse Mokgope<\/strong>“<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4 minutes read time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\nProf PLO Lumumba challenged African universities to create knowledge, technology and solutions that shape Africa\u2019s future.\n\n <\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

African universities must become creators of knowledge, technology and solutions rather than consumers of ideas developed elsewhere. This was the message delivered by Prof Patrick Loch Otieno (PLO) Lumumba, renowned Kenyan academic, lawyer and Pan-African thought leader, during his keynote address at the Vaal University of Technology (VUT) Teaching and Learning Conference on 9 September 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Held from 8 to 10 September 2026 under the theme “Reimagining Teaching and Learning for the Future”, the conference brings together academics, researchers and higher education practitioners to explore innovative approaches to teaching, learning and student success in a rapidly changing world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Addressing delegates from across the higher education sector, Prof Lumumba argued that Africa’s future development depends on its ability to invest in research, innovation and intellectual self-confidence. He challenged universities to move beyond adopting technologies developed elsewhere and instead build the capacity to create solutions that respond to African realities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Artificial intelligence (AI) featured prominently in his address, with Prof Lumumba urging institutions to look beyond the excitement surrounding emerging technologies and ask critical questions about ownership and control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“The question is not simply whether we are using artificial intelligence. The question is: whose artificial intelligence is it? Who owns the software and who controls the knowledge systems upon which we increasingly depend?” he asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Prof Lumumba, technological advancement without technological sovereignty risks deepening Africa’s dependence on external knowledge systems. He said universities must not only teach students how to use technology, but also develop the research and innovation capabilities needed to create it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Drawing on Africa’s history, he noted that many education systems were originally established to serve colonial interests. As a result, he argued that decolonising higher<\/p>\n\n\n\n

education requires more than curriculum reform. It also requires African institutions to take ownership of how knowledge is produced, applied and shared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He further emphasised that meaningful research cannot thrive without investment in infrastructure, laboratories, technology, connectivity and sustainable funding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Africa must develop the confidence and capacity to produce research that addresses its own challenges while contributing meaningfully to global scholarship,” he said. “Research cannot thrive without infrastructure, investment and deliberate support.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Referring to lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic, Prof Lumumba said Africa’s dependence on externally developed vaccines, medicines and technologies highlighted the urgent need to strengthen local research, manufacturing and innovation capabilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also challenged universities to reconsider how success is measured.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“If we teach agriculture, we must contribute to food security. If we teach medicine, we must strengthen healthcare. If we teach engineering, we must build infrastructure. Education must solve problems and transform society,” he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pointing to countries such as China, South Korea, India and Vietnam, Prof Lumumba encouraged African institutions to study how strategic investments in education, research and innovation have driven development and global competitiveness. He stressed that the aspirations of the African Union’s Agenda 2063 can only be realised through meaningful investment in education, technology and human capital.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The keynote resonated strongly with the conference theme and reinforced the role of universities as drivers of innovation, socio-economic development and sustainable growth. For universities of technology such as VUT, the address highlighted the importance of translating research and knowledge into practical solutions that benefit communities, industry and society.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prof Lumumba’s presentation formed part of a broader conference programme featuring local and international experts on higher education leadership, artificial intelligence, educational innovation, research and student success. A key highlight of the conference is the launch of two scholarly books developed from peer-reviewed papers and academic contributions presented at previous editions of the event.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Concluding his address, Prof Lumumba urged African institutions to preserve, document and share the knowledge they generate for future generations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“The most important question facing our universities is no longer whether they are ready for the future. It is whether they are prepared to create it.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This version is closer to a typical VUT website article length and keeps the focus on the strongest news angles: knowledge creation, AI sovereignty, research capacity, Agenda 2063, and the challenge to African universities to shape their own future.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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