Chidi Oguamanam, a Nigerian-born professor has been appointed by the Faculty of Law, University of Ottawa, Canada as the Research Chairman in Sustainable Bio-Innovation, Indigenous Knowledge Systems and Global Knowledge Governance.
According to announcement published on the school’s website:
Prof Oguamanam will “advance just societies through the equitable participation of the world’s Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities in global knowledge production and in the resulting benefits.”
Clariform reports that the position of University Research Chair person is awarded to top researchers in the university in recognition of their outstanding and continuous accomplishments in research.
According to the University of Ottawa, Prof. Chidi Oguamanam has carved a niche for himself as a leading voice in the effort to “stop the harmful appropriation Indigenous knowledge, and replace decades-old practices with new, sustainable systems that can equitably bring Indigenous knowledge to the world.”
NOTABLE QUOTE
The letter which was dated August 16, 2022 partly read:
“Under the auspices of this new Chair, Professor Oguamanam’s goal is to advance just societies through the equitable participation of the world’s Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities in global knowledge production and in the resulting benefits.”
“Above all, he seeks an answer to the following question: How can global knowledge governance achieve equity for IPLCs and their knowledge production?”
“To answer this question, Professor Oguamanam will look at global knowledge governance across the multiple but interrelated sites of sustainability, agriculture, food security, environment, biodiversity conservation, climate change, health, medicines, arts, and other epistemic traditions in which the diverse forms of informal knowledge production practices of the world’s IPLCs intersect with formal science and technology-driven innovation.”
