Reimagining Higher Education’s Role in Development Beyond 2030 Through Ubuntu Philosophy

As the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals deadline approaches, many targets, particularly in postcolonial contexts, remain unmet. This philosophical paper employs Ubuntu philosophy to reimagine higher education’s (HE’s) role in human development beyond 2030, drawing on examples from South Africa and Zimbabwe. Over the years, HE globally has been framed within Western economic models that promoted Western values while neglecting local epistemologies, producing curricula detached from contextual realities. We propose Ubuntu-informed epistemic pluralism as a transformative framework that values interconnectedness, interdependence, and mutual care. Ubuntu can enable higher education institutions (HEIs) in postcolonial societies to address social, political, and economic inequalities more effectively. By shifting from colonial epistemologies toward inclusive, contextually grounded knowledge systems, higher education can foster regenerative development and contribute to global peace, justice, and prosperity beyond 2030.