The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) ought to be achieved by states by 2030. Global South countries and especially Kenya are lagging. This study aims at synthesizing the available literature on university–community partnerships in the Global North and South, exploring their role in advancing the SDGs, analyzing challenges and opportunities and designing a conceptual framework for effective university–community partnerships.
This study is based on a systematic literature review. It also includes a review of partnerships between key actors in sustainable development and Community Based Organizations (CBOs) in Kenya. The Systematic Literature Review (SLR) was done using databases such as Google Scholar, Scopus, ResearchGate and ScienceDirect and after applying inclusion and exclusion criteria, a total of 63 articles were analyzed via qualitative content analysis.
This study established that university–community partnerships are necessary in working toward climate action, quality education and sustainable cities and communities. Opportunities, challenges and gaps toward the establishment of these partnerships have been highlighted as well as ways forward.
This study contributes to closing the knowledge gap on the role of university–community partnerships in advancing the SDGs. A conceptual framework for effective university–community partnerships is proposed based on the findings of the SLR, with specific focus on Kenya and the Global South. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is among the first to have examined that. Limitations of the research include the risk of bias in the selection and analysis of the literature, but this was minimized by having agreement among three researchers on which studies to include.
