Rio+20 (16/06/2012) – Anke Weisheit, African Young Scientists Initiative on Indigenous Knowledge Systems talks about the importance of taking indigenous knowledge into account when setting up development initiatives.

She says that people have been living for centuries of he traditional knowledge of their communities and that modern, western societies should not be allowed to overshadows these other societies.

Too often she says, local systems are seen as primitive and not worth studying while the Western model of development is seen as modern. These other models of development should not be ignored she says, and believes there is a lot of innovation and enthusiasm in Ghana where she works which should also be considered.