New evidence on Ubuntu: Facilitators and barriers to the use of Ubuntu values in social work and social development

Authors:
Janestic Mwende Twikirize
Rugare Mugumbate
Chinwe R. Nwanna
Mfundo Mandla Masuku
Sharlotte Tusasiirwe
Robert Kudakwashe Chigangaidze
Bernard Mayaka
Received 16 Jul 2025, Accepted 17 Feb 2026, Published online: 04 Mar 2026
All authors are members of the Ubuntu Research Group (URG) organised by ASWDNet
Access this article https://doi.org/10.1080/15426432.2026.2635374

Abstract:

The article explores the facilitators and barriers to integrating Ubuntu values into social work and social development practice. Ubuntu values justice, freedom, community, reciprocal relations, responsibility, service to humanity, culture, and spirituality. Drawing from an empirical study involving participants from 19 African countries, the research highlights Ubuntu not merely as a philosophical abstraction but as a lived and culturally embedded reality. Findings reveal six key facilitators, namely, research, literature, education and training, public awareness, socio-democratic governance, and mentorship, that promote the adoption of Ubuntu principles in both educational and professional contexts. Conversely, the study identifies five structural and ideological barriers, including neoliberal capitalism, colonial legacies in policy and education, globalization, limited literature, and unsupportive organizational governance. The article contributes to the decolonial discourse in social work by advocating for indigenous knowledge systems and culturally grounded practices. It emphasizes the need for multi-level interventions to create enabling environments that validate and support Ubuntu as a transformative ethical framework for African social work.

Keywords:

• Africa
• Ubuntu
• social work
• values
• colonialism