Research

THE ROLE OF UNIVERSITIES IN SUSTAINABLE RURAL DEVELOPMENT: TOWARDS A KNOWLEGDE INTERMEDIATION MODEL (KIM) OF UNIVERSITY COMMUNITY OUTREACH PROGRAMS (UCOPs)

BY:

PROFESSOR FIRIMOONI R. BANUGIRE

BISHOP STUART UNIVERSITY, MBARARA, UGANDA

ABSTRACT

This paper argues for recognition of the important role universities can play to promote timely, efficient, effective policy design and implementation to address the development challenges facing less developed countries like Uganda. It calls for the establishment of community-University Public Partnerships (CUPPs) for knowledge management for development through collective learning for development.

CUPPs can be operationalized through University Community Outreach Programs (UCOPs), facilitated by governments and their development partners. The major reason is to enhance the capacity and effectiveness of service delivery partnerships. Figs 1 and 2 articulate conceptual framework for understanding the development role of universities as knowledge intermediaries for accelerated sustainable rural transformation which for has failed to and take off in most LDCs of Africa due to excessive reliance on market liberalization as primary tool of rural development.

The model emphasizes the benefits of knowledge management for sustainable development and crisis/ disaster management. CUPPS would reduce the incidence and consequences of institutional and policy failures and generate endogenous knowledge for inclusive economic growth and sustainable development. The overall impacts would include; activating/ empowering citizen’s development initiatives, improving governance systems and improving the effectiveness of polices as well as resource mobilization and utilization including foreign aid.

Universities as drivers of the knowledge management partnership must show the way forward by putting the seed capital in UCOPs and lobbying for government, and donor supports

KEY WORDS. Knowledge, intermediation, sustainable rural development, community-University-Public partnerships, service delivery partnerships. For more visit the following link: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B7oSF5PMvI_LNnY2LUk4ejlmY0k