Indigenization and Decolonization of Social Work Education in Africa through the Prism of Ubuntu Philosophy: Perspectives from Somalia

Social work, both as an academic discipline and a profession, has been gaining a remarkable standing, recognition, and appreciation in Africa and across the globe. A large number of African students graduate from higher learning and professional social work schools in the continent and overseas to join the professional ranks of social work, equipped with the necessary tools that facilitate the execution of their duties. Among the achievements are an increasing number of scholarly voices advocating for a more focused African/Ubuntu approach to social work education, research, and practice. These voices aspire for an approach that positions African theory and philosophy at the heart of the scholarly foundation of the discipline. Based on the factual elements of social work that benefit the African people, this study argues that there is need to support the legitimacy of the advocacy for indigenization and decolonization of social work in Africa, where despite the vast indigenous knowledge available, very little of it is theoretically and epistemologically consumed in the context of pedagogical advancement of African social work education and professional practice.