G20, Africa, and Indigenous Knowledge: A Triadic Approach to Sustainable Development

Abstract

The G20 Summit, a global economic and environmental policymaking platform, is essential in forming sustainability policies. Still, it frequently overlooks African indigenous knowledge systems that have long maintained biodiversity, climatic resilience, and resource management. By examining the relationship between G20 policies, indigenous ecological wisdom in Africa, and sustainable development, this study shows how Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) can support environmental governance, green economy models, and climate action. This study examines case studies of biodiversity preservation (holy groves in Ghana), agroecology (intercropping in Kenya), and water conservation (Zai pits in the Sahel) to identify affordable, locally driven sustainable development options that support global environmental objectives. The study promotes a decolonized approach to ecological policy by bridging the knowledge gap between indigenous traditions and G20 policies. Incorporating indigenous environmental knowledge into the standard ecological discourse, encouraging inclusive climate policies, and advancing eco-justice, sustainable livelihoods, and grassroots conservation will help policymakers, researchers, environmentalists, and G20 stakeholders. This study explores the potential of integrating African Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) into G20 sustainability frameworks to enhance ecological resilience and promote inclusive development. Using a qualitative case study approach, the paper analyzes three African sustainability practices, sacred groves in Ghana, intercropping in Kenya, and Zai pits in the Sahel, to evaluate their alignment with global environmental goals. Findings show that Indigenous Knowledge offers cost-effective, locally adapted, and sustainable solutions directly contributing to SDGs such as Zero Hunger, Climate Action, and Life on Land. Ultimately, by highlighting African indigenous traditions as crucial resources in the struggle against climate change and ecological degradation, this study helps to reshape global sustainability governance.The paper advocates for a decolonized, triadic policy model linking G20 governance, African environmental wisdom, and sustainable development, urging policymakers to recognize and incorporate IK into global strategies formally. The triadic relationship between the G20, Africa, and Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) offers a transformative pathway toward sustainable development. Despite its economic influence, the G20 has historically marginalized African voices, often overlooking the continent’s rich indigenous wisdom rooted in ecological balance, community care, and spiritual harmony. African Indigenous Knowledge, such as sacred forest conservation, traditional agriculture, and water-sharing systems, holds practical, sustainable solutions to climate change and resource management, yet remains underrepresented in global policy frameworks. This study proposes a Triadic Development Model that integrates G20 policy power, Africa’s socio-political agency, and Indigenous epistemologies. It calls for the repositioning of Africa as a co-creator of knowledge, not merely a recipient of aid, and urges the G20 to embrace knowledge pluralism by valuing non-Western, community-driven solutions. Key contributions include advocating for permanent African Union representation in the G20, establishing an Indigenous Knowledge Task force, and funding community-based sustainability projects rooted in African traditions. Ultimately, this approach decolonizes development discourse, centers African agency, and emphasizes that true global sustainability must grow from local knowledge systems. Africa is not at the margins;it is central to reimagining a just and inclusive world order.