Examining the role of community engagement and capacity building in the acceptance of renewable energy projects: The mediating role of trust

Abstract

Global climate change threats demand urgent renewable energy transitions, yet public scepticism rooted in unfamiliarity and lack of trust poses barriers to widespread adoption. This issue persists in Nigeria despite supportive policies as scepticism erodes cooperation needed for success of community-based projects. Accordingly, this study investigated how targeted community engagement strategies and capacity building interventions shape public trust evaluations to influence citizens’ willingness to participate in local renewable energy initiatives. Quantitative survey data from 876 Nigerian residents were analyzed using PLS-SEM methodology. Results revealed participatory engagement platforms and education demonstrations exerted significant positive effects on public trust in proposed projects. Moreover, trust mediated the relationships between engagement, education and willingness to participate - substantiating its pivotal role fostering cooperative behaviours. Findings contribute empirical evidence regarding comparative influence mechanisms driving sociotechnical transitions in the understudied Nigerian context. Practical implications centre on building early-stage community partnerships and competence signalling to shift scepticism. Without renewing public trust, well-intended incentives and persuasion attempts falter. Accordingly, facilitating transparent interactions, conveying reliability and matching communications to localized priorities constitutes imperative starting points for transition strategies seeking participatory momentum. This supports decentralizing policy efforts for more resilient locally attuned renewable energy futures.