Marketing Education in Africa: A Pedagogical Review of Historical Development and Decolonial Transformation

Fredrick Onyango Aila*

Abstract

This paper examines the historical development of marketing in Africa through a pedagogical lens, tracing its evolution from precolonial trade networks to contemporary digital ecosystems. It explores how indigenous systems of exchange, colonial legacies, liberalization policies, and globalization have shaped marketing thought and practice across the continent. The study identifies three broad pedagogical phases: imitation, adaptation, and decolonial transformation, each reflecting shifts in Africa's socioeconomic and epistemological contexts. Drawing from historical, cultural, and theoretical perspectives, the paper critiques the dominance of Western marketing paradigms and argues for a decolonial, context-sensitive pedagogy rooted in African epistemologies, ethics, and lived realities. The analysis highlights Africa's unique contributions to relational marketing, social entrepreneurship, and digital innovation. Finally, it proposes pedagogical strategies emphasizing experiential learning, linguistic diversity, and Ubuntu ethics to align marketing education with Africa's developmental aspirations. The paper concludes that re-centering African knowledge systems is essential for building an inclusive, globally relevant, and socially responsible marketing discipline.

Keywords

Marketing History, Africa, Pedagogy, Decolonization, Indigenous Knowledge, Globalization, Ubuntu Ethics, Trade Networks, Consumer Culture and Marketing Education

Corresponding Author

Fredrick Onyango Aila, Department of Business Administration, Maseno University, Kenya.

Citation

Aila, F. O. (2026). Marketing Education in Africa: A Pedagogical Review of Historical Development and Decolonial Transformation. Journal of Arts and Humanities, 2(1), 01-25.