Exploring Community of Practice in Uganda’s Public Sector: Environmental Impact Assessment Case Study

• Main Authors: Giuseppe T. Cirella, Felix O. Iyalomhe, Anne Jensen, Oluwole O. Akiyode
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2018-07-01
• Series: Sustainability
• Subjects: community of practice; stakeholder participation; environmental impact assessment; Uganda
• Online Access: http://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/10/7/2502

The utilisation of typological concepts of participation-based research on the community of practice (CoP) examines Uganda’s public sector in relation to environmental impact assessment (EIA) of national projects. The re-assessment of participatory knowledge is analysed and incorporated into EIA project planning, design and implementation. A case study within the five divisions of the Kampala District used 250 semi-structured and open-ended survey questionnaires and 20 key informants by way of piecewise random sampling. The findings suggest that the majority of respondents were non-informed, on components of CoP, within the selected EIA projects. The CoP revealed concerns regarding Uganda’s security and corruption which intertwined on how the CoP was conducted. We provide original data on the CoP in relation to EIA projects with the intention of facilitating public sector entities a suitable level of knowledge in aiding affected communities.