On Tuesday 27 April 2010 Professor Thandika Mkandawire, the first holder of LSE's Chair in African Development, delivered his inaugural lecture to a packed lecture theatre. The event marked the official launch of the LSE African Initiative and established the vision and institutional commitment that will support the initiative's progress.
The title, "Running While Others Walk: The Challenge of African Development", was inspired by words of former Tanzania's first president, Julius Nyerere. Taking as its starting premise that if it is accepted that African nations are mostly lagging behind other developing nations, Professor Mkandwire explained that Africa has both the challenge and the opportunity to accelerate the pace of its development.
He went on to argue for the centrality of knowledge within this process, and the implications not only for African scholars and institutions of learning but also for global universities such as LSE working in partnership with them. As Professor Mkandawire noted in his opening remarks, for African scholars of his generation, LSE is absolutely synonymous with alumni such as Kwame Nkruma and Jomo Kenyatta who became the leaders of post-independence African nations. As such, LSE is today uniquely positioned to play a leading role in supporting and providing a platform for the current generation of African students and scholars.
Chaired by Howard Davies, the lecture sparked lively debate amongst attendees. For those who were unable to attend, it was webcast live to xxxx listeners around the world, and can still be viewed at www.lse.ac.uk/podcasts|.
Professor Mkandawire gave a second version of his lecture in Cape Town on 10 May 2010, to mark the momentous occasion of the signing of an MOU between LSE and the University of Cape Town (UCT), which sets the framework for UCT to become the first African partner among LSE's global academic partners.
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