Professor Letlhokwa George Mpedi is the Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the University of Johannesburg.
He recently published an opinion article that first appeared in the Forbes Africa on 19 August 2025.
There is a surprising but inextricable link between academia and traditional leadership. In Africa, this is perhaps most apparent. Knowledge systems have always been embedded in community and continuity. If we view academia through the lens of societal impact, it becomes a calling to serve and uplift local communities.
For Africa, this is not an abstract ideal. Here, traditional governance structures coexist with modern state systems. Traditional leaders become the custodians of cultural heritage and indigenous knowledge and thus hold immense influence at the grassroots level.
From the perspective of those in academia, local partnerships can be seen as strategic for meaningful and sustainable development. The challenges we face today, which disproportionately impact Africa, such as climate change, inequality, youth unemployment, food insecurity and technological disruption, are undoubtedly complex. However, they are not insurmountable.
In fact, Africa’s youthful population, our abundant natural resources and diverse knowledge systems present us with a unique opportunity to approach these challenges with innovation.
Academia, in response, must become more engaged and locally relevant. There is a fundamental call for interdisciplinary research that draws from both global theory and indigenous wisdom. In this way, institutions become hubs of inclusive development.
Mother Teresa once said: “I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples”. In this pursuit, her words resonate deeply. We must send ripples to villages and informal settlements. These are areas where change is most urgently needed.
Consider the example of the Gwakwani Village Project, a partnership between the University of Johannesburg (UJ) and Schneider Electric South Africa. This collaboration exemplifies how academia and industry can come together to co-create solutions that are locally relevant and globally innovative.
Gwakwani, a remote village in Limpopo province, has been transformed into South Africa’s first ‘smart rural village’. This model of development respects traditional leadership by engaging with local knowledge and empowering communities rather than imposing solutions from the outside. This is an area of emerging strength that can be built on for greater societal impact.
As this example demonstrates, if academia is to remain relevant in Africa, it must work in tandem with traditional leadership. This will not only be characterized by research but by our presence and a purposeful approach to our work.
This is how we build development models that are truly African and rooted in the realities of our people.
*The views expressed in this article are that of the author/s and do not necessarily reflect that of the University of Johannesburg.
