Ancient wisdom, digital future: Priscilla Mosomi’s mission to protect Africa’s indigenous legacy
Dr Priscilla Mosomi
As artificial intelligence transforms medicine, scientific research and global innovation, a pioneering initiative emerging from Kisii aims to ensure Africa’s indigenous knowledge is preserved, protected and recognised before it is lost—or commercialised without the consent of the communities that have safeguarded it for generations.
Cambridge-educated geneticist Dr Priscilla Mosomi is spearheading plans to establish the Indigenous Knowledge Research Centre (IKRC), a first-of-its-kind institution dedicated to documenting, scientifically validating and digitally preserving Africa’s traditional knowledge systems.
The proposed centre will focus on medicinal plants, indigenous healing practices, oral histories and cultural traditions while creating a secure digital repository that future generations can access.
Speaking to Kahawatungu, Dr Mosomi said preserving indigenous knowledge is essential because it safeguards the identity, history and cultural heritage of communities that have protected this wisdom for centuries.
“Indigenous knowledge is a priceless inheritance that has been passed down through oral traditions, observation and lived experience. It includes traditional medicine, agriculture, environmental conservation, conflict resolution, cultural practices and spirituality. If we fail to document it, we risk losing an invaluable body of knowledge as our elders pass on and traditional methods of transmitting knowledge decline,” she said.
She said documenting indigenous knowledge has become even more urgent as advances in artificial intelligence and scientific research increasingly depend on large datasets.
“As researchers and AI systems increasingly rely on large datasets, there is a growing danger that indigenous knowledge could be commercialised without the consent or benefit of the communities that developed it. Documenting this knowledge within ethical and legal frameworks helps establish ownership, safeguards intellectual property rights and ensures communities retain control over how their knowledge is accessed, shared and used.”
According to Dr Mosomi, preserving indigenous knowledge will also create new opportunities for education, scientific research and sustainable development.
“Our traditional practices in medicine, agriculture and natural resource management offer valuable insights that can complement modern science in addressing climate change, food insecurity, biodiversity loss and public health challenges. By preserving this knowledge for future generations, we honour the wisdom of our ancestors while creating a foundation for innovation that respects cultural diversity and promotes equitable partnerships between indigenous communities, researchers and policymakers.”
The initiative comes at a time of growing international recognition of traditional medicine. The World Health Organization has encouraged countries to integrate evidence-based traditional, complementary and integrative medicine into national health systems while safeguarding indigenous knowledge and biodiversity.
Across Africa, governments and universities have intensified research into medicinal plants following renewed interest during the COVID-19 pandemic, when many communities turned to traditional remedies alongside conventional healthcare.
For Dr Mosomi, the project is deeply personal.
Having grown up between Britain and Kenya while studying medicine, genetics and diverse cultures, she came to appreciate that indigenous knowledge is not folklore but a rich body of empirical observations accumulated over centuries.
“We are racing against time. Every time an elder dies without passing on their knowledge, we lose an irreplaceable library. The Indigenous Knowledge Research Centre will ensure our ancestral wisdom is documented, protected and recognised as an important contributor to global scientific knowledge.”
She noted that in many Kenyan communities, including among the Abagusii, knowledge of medicinal herbs, food preservation, environmental conservation and conflict resolution has traditionally been transmitted orally. However, urbanisation, changing lifestyles and the loss of elderly custodians have placed much of that knowledge at risk of disappearing.
The proposed centre will feature secure local servers, digitisation scanners, audio-visual recording equipment and a specialised laboratory for herbal extraction, botanical identification and formulation analysis. Researchers will collaborate with traditional healers, elders and local communities to document medicinal plants and evaluate their therapeutic potential using modern scientific methods.
Dr Mosomi believes the initiative is particularly timely as artificial intelligence increasingly shapes scientific discovery.
“Artificial intelligence is only as intelligent as the information it receives. Most AI systems are trained using Western knowledge bases. If African knowledge is excluded, Africa risks becoming a consumer of innovation instead of a creator. We must ensure our knowledge systems are represented in the technologies that will shape the future.”
She emphasised that the centre is not intended to replace conventional medicine but to build bridges between traditional knowledge and modern science.
“This is not about choosing between traditional medicine and modern science. It is about bringing them together through research, evidence and mutual respect. Innovation becomes stronger when different ways of knowing complement one another.”
Protecting the intellectual property rights of indigenous communities will be another core objective of the IKRC. Dr Mosomi said knowledge holders must retain ownership of their discoveries and benefit from any future commercial applications.
“For too long, indigenous communities have shared valuable knowledge without recognition or reward. Communities must remain the custodians of their heritage while also becoming beneficiaries of the wealth and innovation that their knowledge creates.”
Researchers believe the centre could position Kisii as a regional hub for ethnobotanical research, attracting collaborations among universities, scientists, healthcare professionals and technology experts.
Beyond preserving cultural heritage, the initiative is expected to stimulate biotechnology, pharmaceutical research and innovation-driven enterprises, demonstrating that Africa’s oldest knowledge systems can help shape the scientific and healthcare breakthroughs of tomorrow.