Decolonising German Language Education in Nigerian Universities: Towards an Afrocentric Curriculum Framework

This study develops an original Afrocentric curriculum framework for German language education in Nigerian universities, responding to sustained critiques of the epistemic and cultural coloniality embedded in current German language programme structures. The study is motivated by the persistent dominance of Eurocentric content, canonical German literature, and German-defined cultural competence frameworks in Nigerian German language curricula, which critics argue reproduces forms of symbolic coloniality inconsistent with Nigeria's post-independence educational ambitions. Drawing on decolonial theory as articulated by scholars including Ndlovu-Gatsheni and Mignolo, and on Afrocentric educational philosophy as developed in the tradition of Asante, the study constructs a critical appraisal of current German language curricula at eight Nigerian universities across four geopolitical zones. A participatory curriculum design process involving German language educators, students, and Nigerian-German cultural organisations is documented over a two-year research period. The resulting Afrocentric German language curriculum framework centres Nigerian epistemologies, foregrounds African-German cultural histories, and reframes language proficiency as a tool for South-South and Africa-Europe dialogue rather than assimilation to German cultural norms. The framework is evaluated through expert review and initial piloting at two universities. The study makes a foundational theoretical and practical contribution to decolonial foreign language education in Africa. Keywords: decolonisation, German language education, Afrocentric curriculum, Nigerian universities, epistemic justice.