As the discussions and debates rage on about the content and direction of social work in Africa, the challenges associated with weaning the profession off its Western and North American roots become apparent. The desire to indigenise or make the profession culturally relevant is well articulated in the literature. Some efforts have been undertaken toward achieving this desire. However, it is evident that despite the numerous discussions and publications, it appears that efforts at indigenising, localising, or making social work culturally relevant have not made much progress. While what must be achieved is somewhat clear; how to achieve it and by what process remain a conundrum. The article, therefore, revisits the issue of making social work culturally relevant in Africa and its associated challenges. Despite the indictment of current social work education and practice in Africa, it appears that many academics and professionals have accepted that what is Western is global, fashionable, and functional, if not perfect. Given this, perhaps, “we should not worry our heads” about changing it. Instead, social work educators and practitioners in Africa should go back to the drawing board to determine how current social work education and practice can be blended with a traditional African knowledge base, approaches and models to reflect and align with the critical principles and ideals within the African context. This is with the hope of making the profession more relevant to the needs of the people of Africa.
In many emerging economies, owning and operating a small/medium-scale business is essential in the creation of wealth, empowering business owners and helping to address the developmental challenges of the society. Although many women are venturing into family businesses in Ghana, there are still some challenges that hinder their economic empowerment. Interviewing 15 women in small, family businesses in Accra, this article identifies three main concerns of the women which are identified as critical pathways that social workers interested in the economic empowerment of female entrepreneurs could follow. The implications of the findings for social work practice are discussed.
The original version of this article unfortunately contained a mistake in the author group section. The correct name of the fourth author is "Richard Baffo Kodom."The original article has been corrected.
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