Chapter 15: Sustainable Community Development Practice in Africa: Cultural Competemility and Professionalism Informed Approach

Attaining effective outcomes in implementing sustainable community development projects remains a global concern and social workers’ responsibility to address. One factor that limits community development projects maintaining sustainability is the need to integrate culture into practice. In other words, the necessity of recognizing the worth of community people and stakeholders’ viability in building and sustaining their projects and being able to actively engage them in every plan or step involving the projects. This chapter suggests the implementation of the cultural competemility and professionalism model—a practical approach that guides community development social workers on how to actively engage community people and stakeholders in building sustainable community projects in Africa. This approach is rooted in resilience and constructive social perspectives. It embraces cultural diversity and inclusion, thus adopting an ubuntu ideology—engaging in human connectedness and togetherness while serving and mobilizing community people to attain effective project outcomes. This chapter unpacks the meaning of cultural competemility and professionalism and expounds its history, key concepts (interpersonal relationships, service interpretation, strength, and intervention identification) and application process. The innovation of the cultural competemility and professionalism model is its applicability. The model offers three simple mathematical steps (contextual knowledge, experiential knowledge, and convergence) and systematic guidelines on integrating culture into practice for effective outcomes when building sustainable ubuntu community development. Finally, this chapter highlights and discusses social work policy implications and some challenges or obstacles that can impede the successful application of the cultural competemility and professionalism model.