AFRICAN DIGITAL DAWN: TRANSFORMING EDUCATION IN AFRICA THROUGH TECHNOLOGY
Rev Fr. Prof. Chika Okpalike
Professor of African traditional Religion
KEYNOTE ADDRESS
Delivered at the Faculty of Arts, Alvan Ikoku University of Education, 2025
International Conference, May 15, 2025.
Preamble
When I read the theme of this conference: “African Digital Dawn”, it sounded to me like an announcement to herald the arrival of Africa into the global digital space. It sounded to me as a grand entrance of a long awaited superstar. Even the second part of the theme: “Transforming Education in Africa through Technology” painted to me the picture of an Africa ready to engage its educational sector with technological reform. However, being part of this sector, I know that Africa is neither there nor is ready to be there. I know also that it is easy for us to think that not being there and not being ready to be there is the problem of a system which has failed the education sector or the problem of a leadership without the will to do the needful to get us there.
Through my academic journey, I have found myself that philosopher who asks the fundamental question of being, that philosopher who explores the root of being to ask why the being of things, why are there things instead of nothing? How did things come to be and what is their raison d’être. During this intellectual encounter, it will serve us better to ask deeper questions than empirical evidences can fathom, guided by the theme of this conference. It is true that this theme will be explored from different areas of our learning, yet to me, the most fundamental question of to be or not to be must be answered before the real exploration will begin. The question of to be or not to be examines, in this context, the nature of African digital dawn or the possibility of it. Without establishing the nature of African digital dawn or the possibility of a digital dawn which is African, the dream of transforming education in Africa through technology is a sham or will remain an exercise in the continued dark of African digital night without any hope of a coming dawn.