Community Service and Community Engagement in Four African Universities

This book reports on a pan-African action research project that investigated how universities used their third mission of 'community service' to address the internationally agreed Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in the context of their country's development priorities. The four universities involved were the National University of Lesotho, the University of Botswana, the University of Calabar in Nigeria and the University of Malawi, Chancellor College in Zomba. The project was funded by the Association of African Universities through the UK Department for International Development. The project was titled ITMUA (Implementing the Third Mission of Universities in Africa).

Chapter one presents a conceptual framework for 'community service' and its evolution into 'community engagement', reflecting the trend towards encouraging a more collaborative, reciprocal relationship between universities and their communities, followed by a description of the research methodology. Each university partner then describes two case studies, which involved a multidisciplinary approach to addressing an identified community need, and reflects on the policy implications for such work. The final chapter compares the different community service and community engagement strategies for addressing the MDGs, finishing with some policy recommendations.

The project highlights the overwhelming appreciation felt by communities towards the universities' involvement and the amount of mutual learning that was experienced by university staff, students and community members alike. It also points out the challenges of undertaking such work on a sustainable basis, particularly when there is no central coordination or budget allocation.