By Justina Auta
African Psychologists Advocate Curriculum Overhaul to Address Devt. Challenges
The Pan-African Psychological Association (PASU) has called for a shift from Euro-American models in psychology education to an African-centred approach to better reflect the continent’s realities.
The call was made at the first PASU Higher Education Conference, themed “Psychology Education in Africa: Challenges for Cohesion and Development,” organised in collaboration with the Nigerian Psychological Association (NPA) on Thursday in Abuja.
Prof. Andrew Zamani, PASU President, said the move aimed to equip young Africans with skills to address trauma in ways aligned with African culture and linguistic diversity.
He stressed that African psychologists must take ownership of their development agenda, noting that many countries failed to meet the Millennium Development Goals due to limited psychological input.
“The theories and subjects taught in our curricula are based on Euro-American paradigms, making it difficult to integrate psychology into the African Union’s development agenda,” Zamani said.
He added that a common African-centred curriculum would allow governments to recognise psychologists trained across the continent, promoting professional mobility and cross-border mental health initiatives for victims of violence, conflict resolution, peacekeeping, and youth development.
In her keynote, Dr Ava Thompson, Secretary-General of the International Union of Psychologists, emphasised aligning psychology curricula with global and continental trends to create culturally inclusive frameworks enriched by indigenous knowledge.
Prof. Sathasivan Cooper, former PASU President, said Africa must develop psychology relevant to its national, continental, and global needs, free from external domination.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the conference attracted stakeholders from Africa and the diaspora, including students, to enhance psychology’s relevance in addressing socio-developmental challenges on the continent. (NAN)
