ENEMIES OF PROGRESS: PERSPECTIVES ON BARRIERS TO EFFECTIVE UNIVERSITY-COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT TOWARDS CLIMATE CHANGE ACTION AT NDEJJE UNIVERSITY, UGANDA

Climate change remains a crucial threat to sustainable development, particularly in African contexts that are at more risk of its effects and more vulnerable to its impacts. While Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in Uganda have made some commendable steps in structuring missions and frameworks for enhancing climate change action, such structures remain scattered in several documents, making it difficult to track, conceptualize, and effectively implement through universities’ third mission of community engagement. This paper provides an understanding of barriers to effective university community engagement towards climate change action and effective mainstreaming of climate change in engagement programs. The findings in this paper are based on data generated through document analysis, interviews and focus group discussions with university staff, students and community leaders at and around Ndejje University in Luwero district, Uganda. Data was analysed using Braun and Clarke’s (2006) thematic analysis approach with the help of MAXQDA software. The researchers observe various challenges that the implementing units at the case university face. These included institutional constraints, resource-related barriers, COVID-19 and its impacts, myths and misconceptions about climate change. These challenges highlighted the gaps that still exist in many African universities’ efforts towards community engagement that need immediate attention. Indeed, these university community engagement barriers decelerate university community engagement efforts towards climate change action in the Ndejje community. It is hoped that these findings may be useful for university management, stakeholders, and other policymakers in finding practical and relevant solutions to these established contextualised challenges leading to the effective delivery of community engagement programs and climate change mitigation and adaptation programs.<p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/soc/0762/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>