Indigenous Knowledge Systems for Sustainable Futures
About us
The Indigenous Professions of Southern Africa (IPROSA) is an Indigenous-led institution advancing the lawful, accountable, and scalable participation of Indigenous Knowledge Systems across Africa’s health, environmental, and economic systems.
We work with a wide range of partners across government, public institutions, research, finance, civil society, and the private sector. Through continuous learning with our cooperation partners, we adapt and strengthen our institutional approach to support credible system participation in diverse contexts.
Our work focuses on governance design, system integration, and alignment of markets and capital to support long-term wellbeing, resilience, and sustainable economic transformation.
Purpose
Indigenous Knowledge Systems are among Africa’s most under-integrated yet economically significant systems for strengthening population health, regenerating natural capital, and creating inclusive livelihoods.
Our purpose is to establish Indigenous Knowledge Systems as recognised, accountable, and investable contributors to wellbeing economies by creating the conditions for Indigenous practitioners, enterprises, researchers, and communities to participate credibly in policy formation, economic decision-making, and market access.
This includes enabling sustainable livelihoods through governed participation in health systems, value chains, innovation ecosystems, and local and regional markets.
Approach
IPROSA applies a systems approach known as Indigenomics, which treats Indigenous Knowledge as economic and institutional infrastructure rather than informal practice.
This approach strengthens coherence across Indigenous governance, land and resource stewardship, health systems, enterprise development, innovation, and community participation. By aligning these systems with policy, regulatory, and market frameworks, we reduce fragmentation, lower long-term risk, and support inclusive growth.
IPROSA delivers system-enabling initiatives and pilots where required, while avoiding direct service delivery. Projects are designed to establish durable governance, regulatory readiness, and market participation that can be sustained by Indigenous institutions, enterprises, and partners over time.
Institutional Pillars
The Indigenomics framework is operationalised through four institutional pillars that together structure governance, innovation, markets, and community systems within a coherent model.
Sovereign Circle
Sovereign Circle
Sovereign Circle
Safeguards Indigenous authority, consent, and ethical engagement. It enables credible interaction with governments, regulators, private sector partners, and international institutions while reducing long-term social, environmental, and governance risk.
Community
Sovereign Circle
Sovereign Circle
Strengthens education pathways, skills development, professional recognition, and intergenerational continuity within Indigenous-led systems, supporting workforce resilience and sustainable livelihoods.
Centre for African Indigenous Innovation- CAII
Centre for African Indigenous Innovation- CAII
Centre for African Indigenous Innovation- CAII
CAII operates as a systems integration hub, connecting Indigenous Knowledge Systems with research, evidence, law, and innovation ecosystems. It supports responsible validation, translation, and application across health, environmental, and economic systems.
Within CAII, the Indigenous Systems Law Clinic develops legal and regulatory frameworks that enable Indigenous Knowledge Systems to operate lawfully, safely, and at scale. This includes practitioner recognition, intellectual property and benefit-sharing, enterprise regulation, and policy reform support.
The Fund
Centre for African Indigenous Innovation- CAII
Centre for African Indigenous Innovation- CAII
Supports inclusive economic participation through governed markets, value chains, and access to capital. Investment prioritises long-term system viability, local ownership, ethical returns, and alignment with Indigenous governance and wellbeing outcomes.
The Five Wellbeing Capitals
Our work is structured across five interconnected capitals that provide a practical framework for system design and evaluation:
- Health Capital – prevention, care delivery, and population resilience
- Natural Capital – land, ocean, energy, and ecological regeneration
- Social Capital – institutions, trust, and governance relationship
- Cultural Capital – knowledge continuity, ethics, legitimacy, and identity
- Economic Capital – enterprises, value chains, jobs, and investment pathways
Together, these capitals frame Indigenous Knowledge Systems as drivers of long-term wellbeing, climate resilience, and sustainable economic futures.
Leadership and Governance
IPROSA operates under a governance model designed to protect Indigenous authority while ensuring accountability, transparency, and institutional integrity.
Leadership draws on Indigenous institutions alongside expertise from policy, science, finance, and development sectors. Governance structures enable credible participation in public policy, economic systems, and institutional decision-making.
Sovereign Council
Board of Directors
Board of Directors
An independent advisory body of Indigenous custodians and system experts providing guidance on ethics, legitimacy, standards, and long-horizon system integrity. The Council holds no fiduciary or operational authority.
Board of Directors
Board of Directors
Board of Directors
Responsible for organisational stewardship, fiduciary accountability, regulatory compliance, and execution. Board leadership is structured around functional portfolios to support continuity, professional governance, and collective responsibility.
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