Brief Overview of the Centre
The African University of Communications and Business (AUCB) is not merely a university in Africa with an African label. It is an African university with an “ethos” and the explicit intent to produce graduates who fully understand, appreciate and unapologetically manifest their Africanness in all spheres of their lives.
The need to provide an education at the tertiary level that enhances the self-awareness of students as Africans led to the establishment in 2009 of the Centre for Africana Studies at AUCB. The Kwabena Nketia Centre for Africana Studies is an interdisciplinary institution dedicated to the study and advancement of knowledge about the peoples and cultures of Africa and the African Diaspora, through scholarly research, teaching, and publications aimed at the regeneration of African peoples and societies.
The Kwabena Nketia Centre for Africana Studies was officially launched by Nana Susubribi Krobea Asante, the Omanhene of the Asokore Traditional Area in the Ashanti Region of the Republic of Ghana, on 22nd June 2015.
Programmes and activities at the Kwabena Nketia Centre for Africana Studies are designed to create and deepen students’ awareness of themselves as Africans; to enable students to come to an understanding of Africa’s role in the world from an African perspective; to give students knowledge of African philosophy, religions and values that will instill confidence in them so that they can function as citizens and contribute their lot to society; to introduce students to indigenous knowledge systems in Africa so that they can appreciate Africa’s contribution to universal knowledge and be inspired by it; and to understand the African Diaspora as a foundational presence in the creation of civilisations in the Americas and elsewhere in the world
The Kwabena Nketia Centre for Africana Studies exists to serve as a leading centre for Pan-African scholarship and collaboration, bringing together scholars and thinkers from the African world to conduct research and deliberate on issues affecting the welfare and destiny of African peoples and to disseminate their findings as widely as possible. Additionally, the Centre serves an incubator for innovative research to generate new knowledge that advances professional practice for those at the cutting edge of transformative development.
The Centre contributes significantly to the University’s mission of “preparing lifelong learners to become innovative problem-solvers and ethical leaders in the fields of communication, business and related areas through excellence in interdisciplinary teaching, research, and collaboration at the local, regional and global levels using a pan-African Framework” (AUCC Strategic Plan 2022-2027), as well as to the University’s core value of “Embracing African cultural values”.
