Abstract
Recognising the importance of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 1 to Africa’s struggle against poverty, this chapter explores the centrality of values to the continent’s development. It reflects on the central contention that holistic and sustainable development in Africa must be hinged on values that are steeped in African soil. This is consistent with the African Union’s Agenda 2063 Aspiration 5 on African cultural identity, values and ethics. This chapter sets the conceptual canvass for the volume, interrogating the interconnectedness among the key concepts. Thus, the chapter summarises the dynamism characterising African philosophy, drawing attention to the discipline’s turn towards grappling with the continent’s existential challenges. It outlines the context in which the role of values to the achievement of SDG 1 in Africa is being analysed and reflects on key concepts such as decoloniality, Ubuntu and development. It also provides an overview of the chapters in the volume.
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Notes
- 1.
CGTN Africa, “Faces of Africa – Sankara’s Ghost,” February 17, 2015. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cobVBgQKdlc, accessed 11 April 2021.
- 2.
We are indebted to Rev. Dr Charles Mugaviri, a Zimbabwean leadership coach, for this formulation.
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Chitando, E., Kamaara, E. (2022). Introduction: Values and Sustainable Development in Africa. In: Chitando, E., Kamaara, E. (eds) Values, Identity, and Sustainable Development in Africa. Sustainable Development Goals Series. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-12938-4_1
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