- Author(s): Ojokheta, K.O. PhD
- International Journal of Community Education and Development, Volume 1 No. 1 January 2021
This paper identified and discussed the focus of academic discussion for community development, as a field of study, in the 21st Century. It began with a discussion of how community development remains the cornerstone of all development initiatives. It went further to discuss the dominant paradigms in community development over the years. It equally identified the key phenomena of human existence which characterised the 21st Century: climate change, environmental degradation, emergence of gravest health emergencies, rising cases of insurgency, religious intolerance, the phenomenon of fake news, declining positive virtues of humanity, rising cases of domestic violence, rising cases of hunger, poverty/food insecurity, and rising cases of electoral violence. The author argued that these emergent contemporary phenomena should constitute or set the agenda for academic discussion in community development in the 21st Century and beyond. The paper suggested, among others, that countries should develop comprehensive, inclusive and integrated policies and empowerment strategies for community development practice; create or strengthen inter-ministerial forums to articulate across sectors the roles of community development in nation building; and design mechanisms and strategies for promoting participation, inclusion and equity in community development so that no individual is excluded in the developmental processes.