One of the world’s most-cited African scholars, Prof Toyin Falola, is deepening his connection with the North-West University (NWU) and its Mahikeng Campus in particular. Two years after delivering a public lecture there on indigenous languages and global cultural shifts, he is returning to receive an honorary doctorate from the NWU.
In recognition of a career that has shaped African historical discourse across continents, the university will present the degree during a graduation ceremony at the Mahikeng Campus on 9 May 2025. The award acknowledges Prof Falola’s academic achievements, his decades-long public engagement and his contributions to global scholarship in history and African studies.
“This is not merely an academic gesture – it is a recognition of a body of work that has deepened how we understand Africa’s place in the world,” says Prof Mpho Chaka, deputy dean for teaching and learning in the Faculty of Humanities. “We are honouring Prof Falola because his scholarship continues to shift frameworks, challenge assumptions and train the next generation of African thinkers.”
Prof Falola started out as a schoolteacher in Pahayi, Nigeria in 1970. He joined the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University) as a lecturer in 1981, after completing his PhD in history. By 1991, he had been appointed to the Jacob and Frances Sanger Mossiker Chair in the Humanities at the University of Texas at Austin.
His career spans teaching appointments at institutions such as the University of Cambridge, York University and the Australian National University. He is a fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Letters, as well as the Historical Society of Nigeria, and holds honorary doctorates from 13 institutions globally.
With more than 200 authored or edited books and numerous academic papers, Prof Falola is widely regarded as one of the most prolific scholars of African origin. His work engages a broad array of topics, including African intellectual history, empire and globalisation, religion, migration and diaspora studies.
Campus library is well-stocked with his books
In 2023, Prof Falola donated 27 books to the NWU’s Mahikeng Campus library, 12 of which he either authored or co-authored. The volumes explore topics such as decolonisation, African politics, philosophy and historical methodology. That was also the year he delivered his public lecture on the campus, hosted by the Indigenous Language and Media in Africa research focus area.
His global influence includes advisory roles for institutions such as the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, the African Union and the Economic Community of West African States, particularly on issues related to refugees, peacebuilding and cultural policy.
The NWU honorary doctorate adds to a long list of awards that includes the Lincoln Award, the Amistad Award and the Nigerian Diaspora Academic Prize.
For the NWU, the recognition is not only retrospective but forward-looking – part of a broader mission to honour scholarship that originates in Africa and speaks to the world.
Prof Toyin Falola.
