| IntroductionAt the Africa Leadership Awards | | | | co-operative means an autonomous association of |
| Ceremony held in South Africa the former | | | | persons united voluntarily to meet their common |
| president of Zambia, dr. Kenneth Kaunda pleaded | | | | economic and social needs and aspirations through |
| for a Green Revolution in Africa in order to meet | | | | a jointly owned and democratically controlled |
| hunger and poverty by working together as a | | | | enterprise organized and operated on |
| people of one continent. This plea was made in | | | | co-operative principles"The specific type of |
| the belief that "in unity there is strength" (Eze, | | | | co-operation of interest is labeled the user |
| 2006). This amongst other, demands a rethinking | | | | co-operative. Philip (2003) defines a user |
| of how synergism can be established between | | | | co-operative as a co-operative in which the |
| the knowledge systems available in the global | | | | members are users of the services of the |
| village and the available indigenous knowledge | | | | co-operation, without any necessary employment |
| systems in Africa to develop appropriate | | | | relationship with the enterprise. This type of |
| knowledge and processes to address the | | | | co-operation is in contrast to the worker |
| particular problems and opportunities of this rich | | | | co-operation, in which workers in an enterprise |
| endowed continent. Too date, little interact has | | | | own and control the enterprise. The user |
| happen between indigenous knowledge production | | | | co-operative model is preferred as a model to |
| in Africa and global knowledge | | | | merge indigenous knowledge systems with |
| production.Neglecting proper integration of these | | | | scientific knowledge systems as it carries with it |
| two important knowledge systems may over the | | | | the ability to mobilize wide participation from local |
| long term have a detrimental effect on the | | | | communities and from researchers operating in |
| development efforts of Africa. In this regard Hart | | | | the scientific domain creating huge potential for |
| (2006) remarked that both forms of knowledge | | | | innovative but context specific discoveries across |
| are evidence of dynamic processes of | | | | many spectrums of life. By following such an |
| observation, investigation and experimentation, | | | | approach a development strategy and |
| that both can include and adapt external | | | | competitive advantage can be formulated suitable |
| innovations and should therefore be treated as | | | | to the particularities of a specific environment.In |
| equal to contributing to scientific knowledge and | | | | order to synergised meaningful participation |
| only differs with regard to resources at its | | | | between the scientific community and people |
| disposal.PurposeThe purpose of this article is to | | | | possessing indigenous knowledge it is imperative |
| indicate that the establishment of sector specific | | | | that the functioning of the user co-operatives are |
| user co-operatives in Africa that source on the | | | | founded on sound principles. Ximiya (2004) |
| knowledge systems of both the global village and | | | | identified the following universal principles and |
| the indigenous knowledge systems may support | | | | values on which and co-operative should be |
| and facilitate a Green Revolution in Africa to | | | | founded:· Membership should be open and |
| defeat hunger and stimulate development. | | | | voluntarily; |
| Pursuing this objective will ensure that proposed | | | | · Democratic member control should be |
| improvements and development plans account for | | | | established; |
| the specific and particular cultural foundations - on | | | | · Members should be able to accept the |
| which the behaviour and values of each society | | | | responsibilities of membership; |
| on the content is based - in all development | | | | · Member economic participation and equity; |
| initiatives. The result of this could certainly lead to | | | | · Autonomy and independence; |
| better contextualised innovations and | | | | · The co-operative shouldt provides |
| development approaches. An integrated approach | | | | education and training to its members and |
| could ensure in the words of Albrow (1999) that | | | | employees"; and |
| change in society "... does not occur independent | | | | · The co-operative should behave in a social |
| of particular types of society".Establishing | | | | responsible manner.However, to bridge the big gap |
| indigenous -scientific knowledge co-operative | | | | that exists between the creators of the two |
| movements to merge knowledge systemsIt can | | | | knowledge systems interventions like drawing in |
| thus be deducted that the integration of scientific | | | | other role players like financial institutions, |
| knowledge with indigenous knowledge (In this | | | | governments and development agencies may be |
| article indigenous knowledge refers to the | | | | required to overcome mental model bottlenecks |
| knowledge created by a particular community at | | | | between those involved, to map out a way |
| a particular location on the African continent that | | | | forward in overcoming these bottlenecks and to |
| was not influenced by the global knowledge | | | | ensure productive and fruitful participation by all. |
| system.) would enable societies to develop | | | | By so doing the user co-operative chooses to be |
| according to the needs, aspirations, particularities | | | | an integral part of the social sector in which it |
| and heritage of specific types of societies. An | | | | operates with distinct legal and development |
| instrument available to society to facilitate such a | | | | values with the primary aim of fulfilling the needs |
| process is through the establishment of | | | | of their members coming from different |
| co-operative movements in specific sectors of | | | | knowledge systems and the particular |
| community life.At the highest level, a tertiary | | | | community.ConclusionThrough the development of |
| co-operative should be established whose | | | | a strong user-co-operative movement, embedded |
| objective should be to advocate and engage | | | | in indigenous and scientific knowledge systems, |
| organs of state, the private sector and | | | | the energies, resources and skills of all people in |
| stakeholders on behalf of its members to merge, | | | | communities can be mobilized and harnessed to |
| harness and grow the integration of indigenous | | | | contribute to the development and organisation of |
| and scientific knowledge in order to develop | | | | Africa.BibliographyAlbrow, M. 1999. Sciology: The |
| societies in a contextualised manner. The principle | | | | basics. London: Routledge. |
| aim of this co-operative should be to understand | | | | De Beer, F. & Swanepoel, H. 2000. Introduction |
| what contributions indigenous knowledge has | | | | to development studies. Cape Town: Oxford |
| contributed to the present state and how it can | | | | University Press. |
| be used in conjunction with scientific knowledge | | | | Eze, M.A. 2006. Kick poverty out of Africa - |
| for innovation purposes and to make new | | | | Kaunda. AU Magazine. 1(6). 18-19. |
| knowledge useful within a specific social | | | | Hart, T. 2005. Returning to African Tradition the |
| environment.Although many types of | | | | way forward for small farmers? HSRC Review. |
| co-operatives can be established like agricultural | | | | 3(2). 10-11. |
| co-operatives, housing co-operatives, marketing | | | | Philip, K. 2003. Co-operatives in South Africa: their |
| and supply co-operatives and consumer | | | | role in job creation and poverty reduction. South |
| co-operatives each having its own set of | | | | African Foundation. October. 1-6. |
| objectives, all share the same features described | | | | Ximiya, W. 2004. Co-operative development. |
| by the Government Gazette (2005) namely:" A | | | | |