Reframing interprofessional competencies through Ubuntu: a decolonial proposal

Abstract

What was the educational challenge? Global interprofessional education (IPE) competency frameworks have advanced collaboration in health professions education, but remain rooted in predominantly Western epistemologies. Frameworks emphasise individual competence, role delineation, and performance, often overlooking relational, communal, and contextually grounded ways of knowing. This creates a misalignment in Global South contexts, particularly in Africa, where care is embedded in collective identities and social interdependence. There is a need to rethink interprofessional competencies to better reflect diverse epistemologies and support equitable, contextually relevant practice. What was the solution and how was it implemented? We propose an Ubuntu-informed reconceptualisation of interprofessional competencies. Ubuntu values and principles reframe collaboration as collective becoming, rather than coordinated individual performance, through relational personhood, communal responsibility, dialogical communication, fluid roles, shared practice, and collective leadership. This reframing repositions interprofessional collaboration as an ethical, relational, and community-oriented practice in the African context. What lessons were learned? This approach offers a decolonial lens for IPE, enhancing cultural relevance in the Global South while deepening relational and equity-oriented practice globally. It strengthens existing frameworks by foregrounding belonging, mutual recognition, and shared humanity. What are the next steps? Future work includes developing Ubuntu-informed competency frameworks, piloting in African health professions education programmes, and evaluating the impacts on student interprofessional identity and collaborative practice.