Unisa researcher passionate about Afrocentric epistemology Dr Samuel Oloruntoba (Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Thabo Mbeki African Leadership Institute) on what drives his passion for Afrocentric research. Dr Samuel Oloruntoba, a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Thabo Mbeki African Leadership Institute, is passionate about Afrocentric epistemology and is driven by the need to contribute to the improvement of human conditions, especially in Africa. His research speaks to this as he focuses on regional integration, African political economy, global governance, and knowledge production, both solely and in partnership with the other colleagues. “My interest in these areas of research is informed by the gap in knowledge that exists on them, their relevance for development in Africa and their potential to contribute to knowledge. The research is important to Unisa as it contributed to research outputs and the overall ratings of the university. My research is also important for the country and continent as it can help in redirecting policies and orientations with the overall objective of improvement in the standard of living and the rediscovery of the sense of worth, pride and dignity of the people of Africa.” Explaining in more detail, he says that the focus on international political economy of trade and finance is informed by the ubiquitous influence of the global institutions on trade and finance in Africa, the need for reforms of these institutions and the imperative of restoration of policy autonomy to African states, within an integrated African continent. “My research also interrogates the conventional idea of democracy within the context of the complications that underlie it and its failure to engender inclusive development. I argue for an alternative perspective to liberal democracy.” Flying the Unisa flagOloruntoba recently presented a paper at the World Congress of International Political Science Association in Montreal, Canada. “I plan to publish the paper, entitled, Regional Governance of Trade in a Globalised Economy: Implications of the US-EU Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) on Africa, in a relevant journal once the conference has concluded.” Another research topic that he is currently working on is innovation and regional integration in Africa. “This book project is informed by the concern over the slow space of integration in Africa, which is caused by many challenges not the least of which is the dominance of commodities and few products in the export profiles of many African countries. The book project seeks to establish a link between innovation in industrialisation, manufacturing, services and governance as necessary ingredients for successful integration in Africa.” In addition, Oloruntoba is also working on two other papers for which his abstracts have been accepted for conferences in Finland and Codesria’s general assembly in Dakar, Senegal. “The research for the Finland conference is on Liberal Democracy and challenges of Inequality in Africa: Towards a new democratic paradigm? My research for these papers is informed by the need for an alternative theories and praxis on economics and politics, especially as they affect Africa.” Postdoctoral Research FellowAs part of his postdoctoral research fellowship, Oloruntoba revised his PhD thesis which was on the political economy of partnership agreements between the European Union and the African, Caribbean and Pacific group of countries. The revised copy was submitted to Palgrave Macmillan publishers in the US, and he is currently responding to the reviewer’s comment. He also conducted research on the political economy of regional integration in Africa focusing on the decolonisation of theory and praxis. This paper was presented last year at the African Economic Conference jointly organised by African Development Bank, United Nations Economic Commission for Africa and the United Nations Development Programme. The revised copy of the paper was submitted to the African Studies Journal for publication. Together with Prof Vusi Gumede, Head of TMALI, Oloruntoba conducted research on the role of regional hegemons such as Nigeria and South Africa in facilitating regional integration in Africa. This research was presented at a symposium organised by TMALI in August 2013. “I also wrote two papers in the area of knowledge production, with focus on the role of foreign aid in the social sciences in Nigerian universities as well as the roles of Pan-Africanism and knowledge production in the third liberation of Africa. The latter was presented at a conference organised by the African Studies and History Department, University of North Carolina in the US in October last year. Within the same time, I finished a paper that I wrote with my PhD supervisor, on Global Governance of Trade and Economic Development in Africa: Exploring opportunities in South-South Cooperation. This article was published in the Nigerian Journal of International Affairs. I wrote another paper to interrogate the substance of the current euphoria on economic growth in Africa. The book chapter was accepted for publication as part of a volume on Themes and Perspectives in African Economy being published by Springers in Geneva, Switzerland.” On the importance of the postdoctoral programme, Oloruntoba says it is key to the training of researchers and in the honing of research skills, research productivity and promotion of multi-culturalism in the full complement of the research faculty of any university. “It enhances the global profile of Unisa and any university that is visionary enough to invest in it.” There is no doubt that Unisa is moving in the right direction through its various research and innovation strategies as well as support to staff and faculty, he adds. “The academic freedom that Unisa facilitates and encourages is key to breaking new grounds in ideas, inventions and innovations that South Africa and Africa need to shape their future in a developmental way. Unisa is living true to its vision of the African university in the service of humanity. | |
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