This policy brief critically explores how decolonisation and anti-racism frameworks can transform development practice in Africa. Drawing on extensive research supported by Christian Aid in 2023, the African Centre for Leadership, Strategy & Development (Centre LSD) presents a compelling case for integrating these paradigms into Africa’s development discourse. The publication is both a reflection and a roadmap, articulating the historical legacies of colonialism and racism while laying out practical steps for locally grounded, socially just development.
The brief traces the evolution of global development thinking—from colonial-era exploitation and Structural Adjustment Programs to modern frameworks like the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Africa’s Agenda 2063. It argues that mainstream development models have historically marginalized African agency, identity, and knowledge systems, resulting in economic dependency, cultural alienation, and institutional underdevelopment.
A core section of the report investigates how colonial legacies continue to influence African societies—from Eurocentric beauty standards and foreign-imposed education systems to extractive economic models and environmental degradation, especially in regions like the Niger Delta. The study underscores that racism, both direct and structural, continues to shape global relationships, development financing, and even local perceptions of identity and value.
Notably, the brief details a Christian Aid-supported research initiative involving focus group discussions and key informant interviews, which emphasized the need for indigenisation—local ownership of social work practices, educational content, and development models. Insights from these engagements show how faith actors, civil society, and local communities can drive transformation by reclaiming cultural narratives, embedding indigenous philosophies (like the Yoruba concept of Omoluabi), and adopting context-specific methodologies.
The document closes with eight strategic recommendations including reforming education to integrate indigenous knowledge, promoting economic self-reliance, enforcing environmental justice, engaging faith leaders in social transformation, and strengthening gender and social inclusion through a decolonial lens.
This policy brief is a call to action for African governments, development practitioners, INGOs, and faith-based organizations to dismantle colonial frameworks and advance a future rooted in African values, equity, and sustainable self-determination.
