Integrating geoethics and digital innovation for transformative geoscience education in Africa: pathways to sustainability and environmental justice

Abstract

Africa is endowed with critical minerals essential for technological advancement and therefore needs skilled geoscientists to address multiple challenges related to resource management, natural hazards, water management, environmental justice, climate change, and training systems. Unfortunately, Geoscience education in Africa is faced with inadequate infrastructure, limited access to modern analytical tools, and unstandardized curricula that are not in line with global standards. These structural gaps are obstacles to the development of a new generation of geoscientists capable of responding to these concerns. This review paper employed a systematic narrative approach, synthesizing peer-reviewed literature, policy documents, and regional reports published between 2000 and 2025, using keywords like 'geoscience education Africa' and 'AI geoethics', applying inclusion criteria for Africa-focused/analogous studies (n=~312 retrieved, 120 screened by abstract/full-text, 87 retained post-quality appraisal via relevance/impact scoring; solo review with reflexivity for validity). Sources were retrieved from major databases (Scopus, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, SpringerLink, Google Scholar) and supplemented with African regional journals, government white papers, and NGO reports to ensure contextual relevance.
Findings highlight three key areas: (i) existing gaps in the quality of geoscience education, inclusivity, and embracing technological advancement; (ii) new emerging opportunities in ICT technologies, virtual fieldwork, and AI-assisted learning models that are already being deployed worldwide and could be adapted for African contexts; and (iii) the potential to integrate geoethics digitally enhanced curricula to produce geoscientists that are ethically conscious and embrace technology. The study concludes that integrating geoethics and digital innovation is necessary for developing ethically grounded and technologically competent geoscientists capable of addressing Africa’s socio-environmental challenges. The implications of this review underscore the need for policy reform, institutional investment, and cross-sector partnerships to build resilient and sustainable geoscience education ecosystems across Africa.