Africa Must Reclaim the Power to Produce Knowledge, Prof. Mampilly Tells Mwalimu Nyerere Intellectual Festival
By Ally Mambele, CMU
Distinguished Scholar Calls for a New Era of African-Led Thinking, Warning That the Continent Cannot Build Its Future on Borrowed Ideas
Africa's future will depend not only on its economic growth or natural resources, but on its ability to reclaim the power to produce knowledge, define its own development priorities and think beyond intellectual frameworks inherited from colonialism and external influence.
That was the powerful message delivered by renowned political scientist and African affairs scholar Prof. Zachariah Mampilly during the 2026 Mwalimu Nyerere Distinguished Lecture at the 17th Mwalimu Nyerere Intellectual Festival hosted by the University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM).
Addressing scholars, policymakers, students, diplomats and development practitioners gathered at the Mwalimu Julius Nyerere Mlimani Campus, Prof. Mampilly challenged African universities and intellectuals to rethink their role in shaping the continent's future at a time when the global political order is undergoing profound transformation.
His lecture, titled "African Knowledge Production After the End of the Liberal World Order," formed the intellectual centrepiece of this year's festival, held under the theme "Geopolitics, Development and New Visions for Africa."
At the heart of his address was a bold argument: despite producing brilliant scholars, activists and thinkers, Africa remains marginal in the global knowledge economy, with many universities struggling to fulfil their historic mission as centres of critical thought, innovation and social transformation.
"Africa cannot build its future using ideas that were never designed for its realities," Prof. Mampilly said. "The continent must develop the confidence to think for itself, define its own priorities and generate knowledge that speaks directly to the needs and aspirations of its people."
Drawing from decades of scholarship and his long-standing relationship with UDSM—where he first studied and later returned as a visiting professor—Prof. Mampilly described African higher education as being at a critical crossroads.
He argued that years of structural adjustment policies, declining public investment and neoliberal reforms have weakened universities across the continent, leaving many institutions overstretched and under-resourced despite growing student populations.
According to him, the consequences extend beyond lecture halls and research laboratories.
"The crisis of the African university is not simply an academic issue. It is a political and developmental challenge because societies that do not invest in independent knowledge production risk losing the ability to define their own future," he said.
Prof. Mampilly noted that as universities have struggled, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have increasingly become influential centres of public debate and policy engagement. While acknowledging the important contributions made by civil society organisations, he cautioned against what he described as the "NGOization" of public life.
He argued that excessive dependence on donor funding can sometimes limit intellectual independence and narrow the scope of transformative political thinking.
"Changing who manages donor-funded projects does not automatically change the structures of dependency. Africa must build institutions capable of generating autonomous ideas and solutions," he observed.
The changing global landscape
A significant portion of the lecture focused on the changing global landscape. Prof. Mampilly argued that the decline of Western dominance and the growing uncertainty surrounding the liberal international order should not be viewed solely as a crisis, but also as a historic opportunity for Africa.
Rather than seeking validation from external centres of power, he said, African scholars and institutions should use this moment to generate new ideas rooted in the continent's own histories, cultures, struggles and aspirations.
"This is a moment for intellectual courage. Africa has an opportunity to move from being a consumer of theories developed elsewhere to becoming a producer of ideas that help shape the world," he said.
He further challenged universities to reconnect knowledge production with the lived realities of ordinary people, arguing that some of Africa's most innovative political thinking is emerging from grassroots movements, youth-led protests and community struggles across the continent.
Citing recent mobilisations in countries such as Kenya, Sudan, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, he said important knowledge is increasingly being generated outside traditional academic institutions.
"Knowledge is not produced only in universities, journals and conferences. It is also produced in communities, social movements and spaces where people are actively confronting injustice and imagining alternatives," he said.
Prof. Mampilly therefore called for a renewed vision of the African university—one that goes beyond producing graduates for the labour market and instead serves as a centre for critical reflection, democratic debate and social imagination.
He also urged African institutions to strengthen intellectual cooperation across national, linguistic and colonial boundaries as part of a broader project of Pan-African renewal.
The lecture resonated strongly with the ideals of the Mwalimu Nyerere Intellectual Festival, a platform established to stimulate critical debate on Africa's development trajectory while advancing the Pan-African vision championed by Tanzania's founding President, Mwalimu Julius Nyerere.
Africa to reflect its place in an increasingly multipolar world
Opening the festival, UDSM Vice Chancellor Prof. William A. L. Anangisye described the gathering as a timely opportunity for Africa to reflect on its place in an increasingly multipolar world.
"The global order is shifting. Africa cannot remain merely an object of discussion in international affairs. It must increasingly define its own priorities and claim its rightful place in shaping global conversations," said Prof. Anangisye.
He stressed that universities have a unique responsibility to help societies understand change, challenge assumptions and generate new ideas.
"A great university must do more than produce graduates and research outputs. It must help society think, question, interpret change and imagine the future with seriousness and confidence," he said.
Prof. Alexander Makulilo as the new Mwalimu Nyerere Professor of Pan-African Studies
The festival also marked the official assumption of office by Prof. Alexander Makulilo as the new Mwalimu Nyerere Professor of Pan-African Studies, succeeding Prof. Rwekaza Mukandala.
Prof. Makulilo emphasized that Pan-Africanism remains one of Africa's most important tools for addressing contemporary challenges, particularly at a time when geopolitical competition, economic realignments and technological change are reshaping global relations.
Throughout the discussions, participants repeatedly highlighted the need for stronger continental integration, greater investment in African-led research, expanded academic collaboration and the active involvement of young people in shaping Africa's future.
As the festival concluded, one message stood out above all others: Africa's future will not be secured merely through resources, aid or external partnerships, but through its ability to reclaim intellectual agency, produce its own knowledge and confidently chart its own path.
For many participants, Prof. Mampilly's lecture was both a warning and an invitation—a warning against intellectual dependency and an invitation to reimagine African universities as spaces of courage, criticism, innovation and transformative thought.
In the spirit of Mwalimu Nyerere, it was ultimately a call for Africa not only to participate in global conversations, but to help lead them.