Title: Harnessing African indigenous knowledge for managing the COVID-19 pandemic in Africa

Authors: Olawale R. Olaopa

Addresses: Department of Economics, College of Business Administration, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, P.O. Box 1982, Dammam 31441, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Abstract: The consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic have forced many nations to strengthen or completely overhaul their healthcare systems. However, to ensure truly healthy future and efficient health systems worldwide, and in Africa especially, this requires more innovative health management systems and care for treating ailments predicated in people's IK. This paper aims to innovatively explore and examine the role of traditions and practices in influencing community and individual perceptions of health and illness, prevention, cure and management of COVID-19. It uses a qualitative research method and employs tripartite-theoretical frameworks of analysis: ethno-medical model, explanatory model, and health promotion model. It emerged that harnessing society's extant indigenous knowledge and identifying areas of improvement through genuine practices, means that the danger posed by COVID-19 can be curtailed through indigenous curative measures and initiatives. Meanwhile an IK-informed system of health management model for COVID-19 and general health management will be devised. Thus, incorporating or balancing this with scientific knowledge, in an environmentally sustainable way will benefit all stakeholders.

Keywords: COVID-19; indigenous knowledge; innovative health management system; scientific knowledge.

DOI: 10.1504/IJTLID.2020.112744

International Journal of Technological Learning, Innovation and Development, 2020 Vol.12 No.4, pp.267 - 290

Received: 21 Aug 2020
Accepted: 21 Sep 2020
Published online: 01 Feb 2021 *

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