The Pan-African Psychological Association (PASU) has urged a shift from Euro-American models in psychology education to an African-centred approach that better reflects the continent’s unique realities.
The call was made on Thursday at the first PASU Higher Education Conference, themed “Psychology Education in Africa: Challenges for Cohesion and Development,” organised in collaboration with the Nigerian Psychological Association (NPA) in Abuja.
Prof. Andrew Zamani, PASU President, said the initiative aims to equip young Africans with the skills to address trauma in ways that align with African culture and linguistic diversity.
He stressed that African psychologists must take ownership of their development agenda, noting that many countries struggled to meet the Millennium Development Goals due to limited psychological input.
“The theories and subjects taught in our curricula are based on Euro-American paradigms, making it difficult to integrate psychology into the African Union’s development agenda,” Zamani said.
He added that adopting a common African-centred curriculum would enable governments to recognise psychologists trained across the continent, promoting professional mobility and cross-border mental health initiatives for victims of violence, conflict resolution, peacekeeping, and youth development.
In her keynote address, Dr. Ava Thompson, Secretary-General of the International Union of Psychologists, emphasised the importance of aligning psychology curricula with global and continental trends to create culturally inclusive frameworks enriched by indigenous knowledge.
Prof. Sathasivan Cooper, former PASU President, added that Africa must develop psychology that is relevant to its national, continental, and global needs, free from external domination.
The conference attracted stakeholders from across Africa and the diaspora, including students, with the goal of enhancing psychology’s relevance in addressing socio-developmental challenges on the continent.
