Technology, Human Flourishing, and the Philosophy of Innovation: An Original African Philosophy of Technology for Nigeria’s Digital Age

This dissertation develops an original African philosophy of technology for Nigeria's digital age, examining whether existing global philosophies of technology adequately address the conditions and challenges of technological development in sub-Saharan African societies and proposing a philosophically grounded alternative framework rooted in African conceptions of human flourishing. Global philosophy of technology, from Heidegger to Albert Borgmann and Don Ihde, has been developed in the context of advanced industrial societies and inadequately addresses the distinctive conditions of technological engagement in African societies, including colonial technological dependency, the coexistence of digital innovation with pre-industrial practices, and the communal rather than individualist structure of African technological participation. A four-phase methodology is employed, combining systematic critical analysis of Western philosophy of technology; investigation of African indigenous philosophy of technical practice through 85 interviews with innovation practitioners, digital entrepreneurs, and philosophy academics across the South West, North West, and South South geopolitical zones; empirical analysis of Nigeria's technology innovation ecosystem from 2019 to 2024 in the Lagos digital hub and Kano agricultural technology sector; and constructive philosophical synthesis. The dissertation proposes the African Ubuntu Technology Philosophy as an original contribution, specifying that appropriate technology for African flourishing must satisfy communal benefit criteria, respect indigenous knowledge sovereignty, produce collective rather than merely individual capability enhancement, and embed ecological responsibility within technical design. Original contributions include the philosophical framework, a critique of colonial technology transfer models, and an innovation policy framework for Nigeria's digital economy. Keywords: philosophy of technology, African flourishing, Ubuntu technology, digital innovation, Nigeria.