Stakeholder Management and Sustainable City Projects in Africa: An Exploration of the Karama Integrated Model Village in Rwanda

This study delves into stakeholder management within the context of sustainable city projects in Africa, with a focus on the Karama Integrated Model Village situated in Rwanda. It examines the influence of various forms of participation management – Passive, Interactive, Functional, and Optimal on the sustainability of the Karama Integrated Model Village. Utilizing an exploratory research design encompassing both qualitative and descriptive/quantitative methodologies, the study involved 154 respondents selected through simple random sampling from a population of 251 individuals residing in households relocated from high-risk zones across three districts of the City of Kigali to the Karama Integrated Development Model Village. Data were collected via questionnaires, coded, and analyzed using SPSS software. The findings reveal a strong explanatory power of the model, with an R value of .993 suggesting a substantial portion of the variance in sustainability of city projects can be explained. Moreover, the study indicates that approximately 98.6% of the variance in sustainability of city projects can be elucidated by the combination of the predictor variables. The F-statistic underscores robust relationships between each predictor variable and the sustainability of the city project. The study's hypotheses are supported by ANOVA results, affirming significant influences or effects of each type of participation management on the sustainability of the Karama Integrated Model Village. Specifically, Passive, Interactive, Functional, and Optimal participation management strategies all exhibit significant and positive impacts on sustainability. These findings underscore the critical role of stakeholder engagement and management strategies in fostering sustainable urban development initiatives like the Karama Integrated Model Village in Rwanda. In essence, this study provides valuable insights into effective stakeholder management approaches that can enhance the sustainability of city projects, thereby contributing to the discourse on sustainable urban development in Africa and beyond.