Prof. Mwangi Wa Gĩthĩnji on Decolonial Paths to Development at APORDE 2025

In this episode, Prof. Mwangi Wa Gĩthĩnji (University of Massachusetts Amherst) challenges the idea that there’s a single road to “modernity.” Drawing on his co-edited trilogy Decolonial Reconstellations—especially Volume II, Dissolving Master Narratives—he argues for development defined as expanding people’s possibilities in their own historical and ecological context. That means industrialising under climate constraints, negotiating transformation within democratic politics, and learning from others without copy-pasting their models.The conversation then turns to AfCFTA: why tariff cuts alone won’t deliver structural transformation and may entrench uneven development if stronger economies simply supply weaker ones. Prof. Wa Gĩthĩnji makes the case for planned specialisation, reciprocity, and honest compensation mechanisms—starting with clear regional compacts that align industrial policy across countries. It’s a pragmatic roadmap for integration that respects politics on the ground while aiming for shared prosperity.