Adoption of Foguain Chawara Practices in the Subsidiary of a Multinational in Niger: The Mobilization of Local Knowledge
This paper analyzes the adoption of foguain chawara practices in the subsidiary of a multinational in Niger. Foguain chawara, which can be translated as local palaver from the Hausa language, is an old traditional institution appealing to elders and community life. The qualitative study carried out shows that the adoption of its practices by the local subsidiary of the China National Petroleum Corporation facilitates the intergenerational transfer of knowledge and the integration of local knowledge into conflict management and decision-making strategies of the company. The results also show that the interaction between local actors and Chinese executives strengthens local knowledge on risk management.