Mount Kenya University Rwanda will host an international conference from 28th to 30th August 2023 in conjunction with the African Research Group (ARG) of Nottingham University in the U.K.

The conference will be held at Mount Kenya University Rwanda, Kicukiro, KK 554 St, Kigali, Rwanda on the theme of “Contemporary developments in the management of organizations in Africa: tapping into indigenous knowledge and developing viable partnerships”. Professor Aminu Mamman is part of the organising committee.

Conference overview

In the last few decades, there has been an emergent narrative of ‘Africa rising’, which has gone a long way to dispel misleading perceptions of a continent perpetually needing help. A good number of countries in Africa are now leading the world in terms of economic growth rates, and some organizations/countries have been trailblazers for example in mobile telephony and tele-medicine, including the response to Covid-19. African universities are also making significant contributions to scholarship, and benefitting from collaboration with scholars and institutions elsewhere. Associations such as the ARG continue to play a pivotal role in these developments.

This conference aims to extend the debate by focusing on how we as researchers can contribute further to the advancement of knowledge by drawing from indigenous knowledge, formulating homegrown solutions and tapping into the knowledge of local practitioners in order to better meet Africa’s challenges.

We believe there are many important initiatives taking place in local communities. SMEs, partnerships between the private and public sectors, technology hubs involving technologically savvy but financially challenged entrepreneurs, and so forth. As well as threats that require a rethink in the nature and meaning of work, workplace relations, and the very functioning of organisations, particularly in the context of the global pandemic which has changed the world in so radical a fashion.

This conference aims to attract papers that shed light on these phenomena. Papers may draw from a range of theoretical and methodological perspectives. In summary, we welcome papers that shed new light on, but are not limited to the following, as set out in the broad tracks below:

1. Management and organization theory: the role of indigenous knowledge in generating appropriate solutions understanding the ‘African thought system’ in contemporary times a critical appraisal of cultural capital, and concepts such as Ubuntu.
2. Management practice and HR business practices in culturally diverse workplaces toward contextually relevant management practices the challenges of managing people and developing managerial expertise.
3. Knowledge management and technological innovation and the use of technology Big data, the Internet of Things in the African business landscape, Entrepreneurialism, Virtual learning during and after Covid-19, Technology in the health sector both opportunities and challenges.
4. Sustainable management, public sector and related topics Developing effective private-public partnerships, Corporate governance, CSR, business ethics and sustainability Modern management in the public sector. The management of SMEs.
5. Africa in a complex global context Globalization and its impact on Africa, The hospitality and tourism sector, Firm internationalization into African countries, and outward-looking African MNEs Pandemic and organization: developing resilience and economic recovery

Contact Details

For enquiries please contact either

• Dr Catherine Wanjiku
• Prof Ken Kamoche

Full details

• Find out how to register, contact information, submission requirements and deadlines

Image source: Photo from Kicukiro, Rwanda by Mugisha Don de Dieu (via flickr)