Online Reporter
Gibson Nyikadzino-Zimpapers Politics Hub
Newly appointed director of Africa University’s prestigious Institute of Peace, Leadership, and Governance (IPLG), Dr Alexander Rusero, has said he will steer the institution’s recalibration of the scholarly agenda to foreground Afro-centric knowledge and the revitalisation of Africa’s agency in the face of renewed global imperial designs.
Dr Rusero, a senior lecturer in International Relations, Politics and Journalism at the Africa University, said strong Afro-centric knowledge systems were a foundation to inform rethinking peace, leadership and governance on the continent against unfolding global epistemic realities.
The scholar who was appointed to the position last month and also serves as a board member at Zimbabwe’s largest integrated media organisation, Zimbabwe Newspapers (1980) Ltd, said the IPLG is working to host President Mnangagwa for an Eminent Leadership and Governance Public Lecture at Africa University.
“It is an honour by the Africa University for me to lead the intensification of the production of scholarly outputs that centre African perspectives at the IPLG, among other things, through books, monographs and policy-oriented publications addressing peace, leadership and governance from African standpoints.
“This is an undertaking to deliberately recalibrate the IPLG’s scholarly agenda to foreground Afro-centric knowledge systems as the foundation for rethinking peace, leadership and governance on the continent. At the core of this shift is a commitment to produce knowledge that is rooted in African histories, philosophies and lived experiences, while engaging critically with global discourses.
“The IPLG is also a platform for direct interaction with national leadership. The initiative aligns with the President’s Open for Business policy thrust and his demonstrated openness to engagement, hence positioning us as a strategic partner in shaping governance discourse,” Dr Rusero said.
The ILPG is currently working on expanding and broadening partnerships with African institutions, think tanks and universities to foster collaborative research and strengthen strategic alliances with diaspora networks to reconnect African knowledge systems globally.
It is named after Professor Rukudzo Joseph Murapa, the second Vice Chancellor of Africa University.
Dr Rusero said the honour bestowed on the late Profe Murapa was to celebrate his indelible contributions as an intellectual statesman who built, nurtured and transformed Africa University as an institution.
He praised Prof Murapa for shaping a generational and intellectual legacy.
“Prof Murapa did not only conceive the institute; he actively mobilised resources for its construction, laying both its physical and intellectual foundations. In doing so, he ensured that future generations of scholars would continue to learn, think, and lead from a reservoir of knowledge he so passionately curated.
“His legacy, therefore, is not only institutional, it is also intellectual and generational.”
