Africa Centre of Excellence in Coastal Resilience |  University of Cape Coast

Vice-Chancellor Appoints Six Research Fellows to the Centre for Coastal Management, UCC

In a bid to strengthen the Centre for Coastal Management (CCM), the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cape Coast (UCC), Prof. Joseph Ghartey Ampiah, has appointed six Research Fellows to the Centre at UCC. This includes one Research Fellow and 5 Assistant Research Fellows. 

Since its establishment, the CCM has operated on a lean staff with maximum support from the Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences (DFAS) within the University. These newly appointed staff were formerly engaged on the Fisheries and Coastal Management Capacity Building Support Project which was implemented by the DFAS from 2015 to 2020 with funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID-Ghana). The Centre, which was operationalised under this same USAID-Ghana-funded project, is fast growing and positioning itself as a formidable establishment in coastal policy and research. 

The Centre aspires to be a strategic leader in the transformation of coastal areas first in Ghana, then West Africa and then on a continental scale in the foreseeable future. This, the Director, Prof. Denis W. Aheto, believes is achievable by drawing on the available expertise both locally and internationally and talents of young motivated scientists as well as capacity building to meet the new challenges presented by our fast-changing coasts.

Hence, the Centre was selected to host the World Bank Africa Centre of Excellence in Coastal Resilience (ACECoR). The Director of the Centre has expressed profound gratitude to the Vice-Chancellor for granting the request for these appointments, which he described as the largest number of appointments to a single department for the first half of 2020, in the University. 

Here’s what the new appointees to CCM had to say about their research interests, the solutions these areas present to global development challenges and their expectation on their career journey at the Centre.

Dr. Elizabeth Effah (Research Fellow)

My research interests include climate change vulnerability, adaptation and mitigation and population, health and environment. These areas provide adaptation/mitigation actions which when proactively applied, benefit coastal communities and resources to withstand adverse impacts of changing climate. This reduces the threats to human welfare. An integrated approach of these interest areas of mine, also presents unique opportunities for solving human development and conservation challenges through a multifaceted ecological-social-economics nexus in policy formulation. As a research fellow, I seek to contribute to scientific data/knowledge through applied research to inform policy decisions making for the sustainable use of our coastal resources in Africa and the world at large. In the long term, I endeavour to contribute the mandate of the Centre through innovative research and teaching to achieve its vision of becoming an African Centre of Excellence in Coastal Resilience contributing to global efforts to safeguard healthy ecosystems.

Mr. Richard Adade (Assistant Research Fellow)

My areas of interest include applications of Geographic Information System (GIS) and Remote sensing (RS), Disaster Risk Management, Climate Change and Adaptation. Coastal resource management is increasingly becoming difficult as a result of complicated environmental processes and wide stakeholder use. GIS and remote sensing provide data and information for decision making that ensures sustainable use of coastal resources. Thus, I look forward to assisting in the setting up of a GIS and Environmental Data hub at the Centre for Coastal Management, for easy data management and accessibility by all stakeholders involved in coastal zone management in Ghana.

Ms. Esinam Attipoe (Assistant Research Fellow)

I am very much interested in understanding the interaction between human and ecological systems, user attitudes, and governance of natural resources management, and so I have focused on these areas so far. These contribute to the understanding of processes underlying the relationship between humans and ecosystems, and human decision-making process in a changing world. I believe these will shape up the much-needed governance mechanisms and targeted interventions in building a resilient and sustainable coastal zone. I expect that CCM, with its high expertise in coastal management, will be at the forefront of the management of the coastal zone and its resources in Ghana.

Mrs. Sika Abrokwah (Assistant Research Fellow)

My research interests include waste management particularly in the area of plastics, industrial waste (solid, air emissions and effluents), human behavioural dimensions of environmental problems and policy compliance. Research in this area is important for improving coastal resource conservation, environmental quality of the coast in Ghana and improving the practicality and uptake of environmental and waste management policies in Ghana. My expectation from ACECoR/CCM is to work with a vibrant multidisciplinary team making an impact in Ghana and across the West Africa sub-region through research and outreach. I also expect the opportunity to collaborate with experts through CCM’s existing networks with industry, the public sector and international development organisations to strengthen the relevance and quality of my research.

Mr. Joshua Adotey (Assistant Research Fellow)

I am particularly interested in the causes and effects/impacts of climate change on coastal communities. Thus, I am fascinated by coastal environmental monitoring with a focus on anthropogenic actions as drivers of climate change and related impacts on coastal communities and associated livelihoods. It has been my long-term desire to support the provision of solutions aimed at contributing to the decline of carbon emissions in vegetated coastal landscapes. I look forward to an exciting research experience at the Centre as I contribute to the teaching and research agenda of ACECoR to deliver demand-driven research outputs fit for policy and management purposes.

Ms. Ivy Gyimah (Assistant Research Fellow)

My research areas focus on waste management, environmental behaviour, policy, health, management and natural resource management. To properly manage a coast and empower coastal communities to be resilient in times of resource abundance and scarcity, environmental and natural resource management are key. Researches in these areas help in discovering solutions that will ensure sustainable use of coastal and ocean resources. Managing resources is deficient without an understanding of human behaviour, the main factor underpinning resource use. Proper waste management is equally essential in achieving sustainable resource use and in improving ecological health. Through CCM’s institutional and industrial collaborations, I hope to work assiduously with my colleagues to realize the aims and goals of the Centre.