Quest for knowledge and knowledge management in rural societies in Africa

Abstract

To survive in a knowledge society, people ultimately engender a knowledge culture by grappling with information, knowledge and knowledge management: develop expertise, tools and resources in handling their knowledge. Curiously, at a time of talk of the global village, research trends show that knowledge management is limited to modern corporate institutions mostly located in urban areas and extensively in developed countries. This situation begs the questions: Is there no knowledge management in rural communities in Africa? If so, how can this exclusion be solved? This paper, conceptual in nature, explores the nature of knowledge in rural communities of Africa; identifies knowledge management practices, expertise, tools and resources rural communities in sub-Saharan Africa use and makes proposals for Africa to better manage its knowledge resources to become competitive. Implications for knowledge management professionals are stated.