The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019 marked a turning point in the delivery of education globally. The exponential rise in positive cases left the majority of universities in the developing world overwhelmed as they had inadequate or no infrastructure to enable them to switch to emergency delivery modes. This paper applies the five-stage model to examine engagement and communication processes between taskforce members and academic staff during the implementation of emergency remote teaching and learning at a Malawian university. The study was largely qualitative and data collection involved a questionnaire survey and semi-structured interviews. Whilst staff members initially held negative perceptions, the situation gradually changed as positive sentiments became widespread. Apparent increase in academic autonomy, ostensibly arising from the urgent search for innovative methodologies, further influenced favourable dispositions among the staff. This study suggests the need to integrate both synchronous and asynchronous methods of delivery in the model.