The African Worldview and Its Implications for Socio-Ethical Issues

Abstract

African worldviews, particularly the philosophy of Ubuntu, offer a distinctive framework for understanding socio-ethical issues through relationality, communal responsibility, and social harmony. This study explores how African ethical principles inform modern ethical practice in governance, justice, technology, and policy-making. Using a qualitative literature review of scholarly works from 2020 to 2025, the research identifies four key themes: communal ethics, restorative justice, culturally grounded technology ethics, and policy integration. Findings indicate that African worldviews provide culturally legitimate, socially effective, and ethically coherent approaches to contemporary challenges, highlighting the relevance of indigenous moral systems in both local and global contexts. By linking African ethical thought to communitarian ethical theory, the study demonstrates the practical and theoretical significance of relational moral reasoning in addressing modern socio-ethical dilemmas. The research contributes to knowledge by emphasizing the importance of integrating African perspectives into ethical education, governance frameworks, and technology policies, enriching global ethical discourse with culturally grounded insights.