Disentangling the Contradictions and Misconceptions of African Indigenous Knowledge System in Public Administration Practices

Abstract

The aim of the paper explored the disentangling contradictions and misconceptions about African Indigenous knowledge of public administration practices. This paper instils and raises awareness of indigenous knowledge systems in the field of Public Administration. African indigenous public administration practices vary greatly from region to region and from community to community, reflecting the rich diversity of African cultures and traditions. However, they share a common emphasis on community participation, consensus building, and respect for authority, which have been key to their effectiveness in managing community affairs, which is the locus and the focus of public administration in that context. One of the misconceptions about African indigenous public administration practices is that they lack formal structures. While it is true that African indigenous public administration practices do not have the same formal structures as Western-style public administration, they do have structures that are based on the principles of consensus building and community participation. In response to these misconceptions, this conceptual paper attempts to disentangle the contradictions and misconceptions about African indigenous public administration practices in Public Administration. This article advocates for a better understanding of indigenous governance and administration systems which, if well documented, should help to inform a theory of African public administration. The article investigates two opposing viewpoints in the literature.