Prof Richard Arthur
Research Ambassador, Koforidua, Ghana
Professor Richard Arthur holds a PhD in Environmental Biotechnology and Resource Management from Bauhaus University, Weimar, Germany. He has served as Vice Dean and Head of Department in the Faculty of Engineering at Koforidua Technical University, where he currently serves as Dean. He has also chaired several committees in the university. He became a Fellow of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation in 2012 and a selection committee member for its International Climate Protection Fellowship program since 2020. He has also been actively involved in international collaborations. These collaborations focus on strengthening technical education, renewable energy development, and digital transformation. Some of the projects under these collaborations include Why@Volta, funded by BMBF (Germany), which explores biogas production from water hyacinths for sustainable energy in communities along the Volta Lake of Ghana, the CO₂-Friendly Cement project, in partnership with Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM) and GIZ, which promotes eco-friendly cement production from agricultural waste, as well as NRW Partnerships for Supporting Technical Universities in Ghana (H2K), which enhances practice-oriented learning. Additionally, he has contributed to GIZ-led initiatives on digital transformation and technical skills development. Through these efforts, he continues to foster research, innovation, and capacity building in Ghana and beyond.
Research Interest and Focus: Renewable Energy, Anaerobic Digestion, Waste-to-Energy, GIS-Remote Sensing, Resource Management, Circular Economy.
Email: richard.arthur@ktu.edu.gh
Dr. Jimam Lar
Research Ambassador, Jos, Nigeria
Jimam Lar read History at the University of Jos, B.A. 2001, M.A. 2007, and also holds an MA 2008, in Conflict, Security and Development from King’s College London. Jimam won a merit-based PhD scholarship from the Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD), and completed his Doctoral Studies in African History and Politics, at the University of Bayreuth, Germany in 2015. Jimam is Reader (Associate Professor) in the History of Security, Violence and Policing, and former Head of Department, History and International Studies, University of Jos. Dr Lar has done extensive research on the history of security provisioning, conflict management, leadership and governance in Nigeria. Dr. Lar was Merit Beneficiary, African Peacebuilding Network, (APN), Social Science Research Council of New York, Individual Grant Recipient 2016. He was African Humanities Program (AHP) Postdoctoral Research Fellow, 2017 – 2018 and was also a Gerda-Henkel Foundation Post-Doctoral Research Fellow, 2019-2021. Dr. Lar has published journal articles and chapters in edited volumes. He has also co-edited a monograph on Criminal Justice, Security Governance and Democracy in Nigeria. Dr Lar’s current research engagement is focused on the role of local actors and trans-border security and mobility on the Nigerian-Nigerien and the Nigeria-Cameroon borderlands and New Methodologies in African History: Theories, Concepts and Multidisciplianarity. Dr Lar consulted for Nigeria’s 9th National Assembly, on Capacity Building for Parliamentary Oversight – this was specifically with Senate and House of Representative Committees on Defence, and Policing. Currently, Dr Lar is Police Policy and Training Advisor, UNDP Rule of Law and Human Rights Office, Nigeria. Dr. Lar is Member of the 15th Governing Council, University of Jos, Representing Congregation.
Research Interest and Focus: Security Governance, Violence and Policing
Email: jimamt@unijos.edu.ng
Dr Faith Agbozo
Research Ambassador, Ho, Ghana
Dr. Faith Agbozo is a Senior Lecturer and head of the Family and Community Health Department at the Fred N. Binka School of Public Health, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ghana. Faith obtained her PhD in Public Health from Heidelberg University medical Faculty, Germany in 2020 as well as a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Bonn (2022-2023) both funded by the DAAD. Profession-wise, Faith is a Registered Nurse, and a Certified Public Health Nutritionist with almost a decade of work experience in clinical practice before transitioning to research/academia. Presently, she is a research scientist at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health as part of the Fogarty Global Health Fellowship and the Secretary-General of the African Nutrition Society.
Research Interest / Focus: Nutritional epidemiology, reproductive health and the climate change-health nexus
Email: faagbozo@uhas.edu.gh
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Prof Olufemi Ernest Ojo
Research Ambassador, Abeokuta, Nigeria
Prof. Olufemi Ernest OJO teaches and conducts research at the Department of Veterinary Microbiology, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB), Nigeria. He is the desk-officer, Germany-FUNAAB relations. He has served as the Director, Veterinary Teaching Hospital, FUNAAB; Head, Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Parasitology as well as the Deputy Dean, College of Veterinary Medicine. He has about 20 years’ experience investigating the molecular mechanisms of acquired antimicrobial resistance and virulence characteristics of bacteria within the ‘One Health’ context. He is actively involved in the surveillance and monitoring of antimicrobial resistant bacteria in humans, animals (including wildlife), food and the environment. He also examines the various sociocultural practices relating to antimicrobial usage that influence the emergence, dissemination and persistence of resistant bacteria among different hosts and in the environment. He has won several local and international awards and has published over 70 scientific articles in reputable peer-reviewed journals. He is an alumnus of Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (AvH) and the Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD).
Research Interest / Focus: Molecular mechanisms of antimicrobial resistance and virulence in zoonotic bacteria
Email: ojooe@funaab.edu.ng
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Dr Jonas Bugase
Research Ambassador, Navrongo, Ghana
Dr. Bugase is a distinguished experimental soft matter physicist with about 13 years of experience in both research and teaching at leading higher education institutions. He earned his PhD in Soft Matter Physics from the University of Bayreuth, Germany, and is currently a senior lecturer at the C. K. Tedam University of Technology and Applied Sciences. With a strong focus on magnetic colloids and thin-film systems, Dr. Bugase has authored several groundbreaking research publications, contributing to the advancement of his field. He is a member of several Associations within the scientific community, notably the German Physical Society (Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft). His leadership extends beyond academics, significantly impacting his university’s administration and growth. He has served as the Branch President of the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG), a member of the University’s Governing Council, and served on numerous statutory boards and university committees. Dr. Bugase is deeply committed to promoting research and academic exchange, especially through the DAAD. Having benefitted from exceptional research training and collaborative projects in Germany, he actively advocates for DAAD opportunities, engaging students and staff through workshops and information sessions, particularly in Ghana’s northern regions. In addition to being a proud DAAD Alumni, Dr. Bugase has received several prestigious grants, including the Alexander von Humboldt Postdoc Stipendium under the Georg Forster Program, the GIZ research equipment grant, and recently, the DAAD-BMZ scientific equipment grant for higher education institutions.
Research Interest / Focus: Behavior of soft materials, particularly magnetic colloids manipulated by external magnetic fields
Email: jbugase@cktutas.edu.gh
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Prof Millicent Awialie Akaateba
Research Ambassador, Wa, Ghana
Millicent Awialie Akaateba is an associate professor of urban planning in the Faculty of Planning and Land Management and the director of international collaborations of the SD Dombo University of Business and Integrated Development Studies (SDD-UBIDS), Wa, Ghana. She holds a PhD in Urban and regional planning from the Technical University of Berlin, Germany and a master’s in transport planning and the environment from the University of Leeds, UK. She has over thirteen years of university teaching and research expertise in urban land use and transport policy and planning, land management, and sustainable/inclusive urban development in Africa. She is a corporate member of the Ghana Institute of Planning and an affiliate researcher of the Habitat Unit of the Technical University of Berlin. Before joining academia, she worked in private planning consultancy with Ablin Consult Engineers and Planners Ltd., Accra, Ghana, where she collaborated on various projects on urban governance, urban transportation, land management, and pro-poor development with both national and international development organisations, including DANIDA, the African Development Bank, the International Labour Organisation (ILO), and the National Road Safety Authority, among others.
Research Interest / Focus: Urban Planning and Transport Research
Email: makaateba@ubids.edu.gh
University Profile page (UBIDS)
Prof Emelda Samba
Research Ambassador, Yaounde, Cameroon
Emelda Samba is Associate Professor of Performing Arts and Cinematography. She doubles as Head of Performing Arts and Cinematography Section, and the Coordinator for the Professional Masters in cinema and audiovisual, University of Yaounde 1, Cameroon. She is the current chair of ABC-DAAD Alumni Association (Association of former DAAD Scholarship holders of Cameroon), Cameroon lead for the Disability and Inclusion Africa Network, First Assistant Coordinator, Theatre Pole, Ministry of Arts and Culture, Cameroon, and Secretary General of the Cameroon Professional Research-Oriented Women Network (CaPROWN).
Research Interest / Focus: Intercultural studies through methods in applied theatre and cinema practices in diverse themes (disability inclusion, gender, environmental protection, water management and climate action, democracy and human rights
Prof Télesphore Benoît Nguelefack
Research Ambassador, Dschang, Cameroon
Nguelefack Télesphore Benoît is a professor of physiology and Pharmacology at the Faculty of Science, University of Dschang in Cameroon. He is the current Head of Department of Animal Biology and the Head of the Research Unit of Animal Physiology and Phytopharmacology. He holds 2 Doctorate degrees obtained in 2002 and 2008 from the University of Yaoundé I in Cameroon. He is a member of several scientific societies, and has been granted DAAD, AUF, IFS, TWAS, CNPq, IASP, NIH and Alexander von Humboldt fellows/grants. He is the Ambassador of the University of Heidelberg and DAAD in Cameroon.
Research Interest / Focus: Physiopathology and pharmacology of cardiovascular and neuro-inflammatory diseases
Dr Felix Amenyo Eyahanyo
Research Ambassador, Sunyani, Ghana
Dr. Felix Amenyo Eyahanyo is a lecturer at the Department of Horticulture and Crop Production. He holds a PhD in Horticultural Science and an MSc in International Horticulture from the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Universität Hannover, Germany. Also, he has a BSc. Degree Honours in Agricultural Science from the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana. Immediately after his national service he was awarded the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) Scholarship and worked at the Institute of Horticultural Production Systems, Biosystems Engineering Section, Leibniz Universität Hannover, Germany where he successfully carried out his master’s research on the determination of three-dimensional soil moisture measurement using ML2x Theta Probe and PR2 Profile Probe. His PhD thesis focused on using computer vision to solve the challenges and propose possible solutions to product marking problems on horticultural products using barcodes and laser technology. He has adequate knowledge and experience in irrigation (partial rootzone drying irrigation using moisture sensors), horticulture, greenhouse technology, crop physiology, postharvest technology, computer vision and modelling of plant systems. He is friendly, loving, caring and a great team player. His hobbies are playing the guitar, football, singing, reading, and sightseeing. His research interest is to use technology in solving problems in horticulture.
Research Interest / Focus: Horticulture, Horticulture Engineering and Postharvest
Email: felix.eyahanyo@uenr.edu.gh
Prof Theresa Manful Gwira
Research Ambassador, Accra, Ghana
Prof Theresa Manful Gwira is an Associate Professor of Molecular and Cell Biology at the department of Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology, University of Ghana. She holds a Bachelors degree in Biochemistry from the University of Ghana. She obtained her Masters in Molecular and Cellular Biology and a PhD in Molecular Biology from the University of Heidelberg. She has 16 years of experience in African trypanosomiasis research, and has authored over 30 peer-reviewed articles.
Prof. Manful Gwira is currently the head of the department of Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology of the University of Ghana.
Research Interest / Focus: Molecular and cell biology of parasites, and host-pathogen interactions with a special interest in African trypanosomes and Leishmania. Current research includes understanding natural African trypanosomes infections in animals, drug discovery, and drug resistance to antitrypanosomals.
Prof Emmanuel Appiah-Kubi
Research Ambassador, Kumasi, Ghana
Prof. Emmanuel Appiah-Kubi is an Associate Professor at the Department of Civil Engineering at the Akenten Appiah-Menka University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development (AAMUSTED), Kumasi, Ghana. He is currently the Dean of the Faculty of Technical Education at AAMUSTED. He was also the Director for Quality Assurance, Planning and Accreditation at AAMUSTED (2021-2023). He worked as a Research Scientist at the CSIR-Forestry Research Institute of Ghana (CSIR-FORIG), Kumasi from 2010 to 2019. He had his BSC, MPhil and Ph.D. Degrees in Civil Engineering from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi. He had his Doctoral Research Stay at the Georg-August University of Goettingen, Germany (during the PhD study). He also holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (PGDTLHE). He has had a lot of international internships and research stays in institutions including the Bern University of Applied Sciences (BFH), Biel, Switzerland (during MPhil study). He is a member of the Ghana Institution of Engineering (GhIE) and a Senior Professional Engineer (Civil/Structural Engineer). He has a lot of experience in both the construction and wood industries in Ghana and is currently a member of ISO Technical Committees ISO/TC 165 (Timber Structures) and ISO/TC 296 (Bamboo and Rattan) as well as an expert for INBAR and belongs to INBAR Task Forces for Bamboo Construction and Rattan. He is also a member of the UNESCO-UNEVOC BILT Expert group on Building and Construction. He is an EDGE Expert under the International Finance Corporation of the World Bank Group.
Research Interest / Focus: Development of affordable high-quality innovative local construction materials and technologies. Conducting research into the efficient processing and utilization of wood, bamboo and other bio-based (sustainable) materials for green construction.
Email: eakubi@aamusted.edu.gh
LinkedIn
University Profile page
Dr Akua Afriyie Karikari
Research Ambassador, Cape Coast, Ghana
Dr. Akua Afriyie Karikari is a Neuroscientist and a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Health and Allied Sciences, University of Cape Coast. Dr. Karikari is both a Fulbright and a DAAD scholar and completed her Master’s and Ph.D. studies in Neuroscience in the U.S.A. and Germany respectively. With over 10 years experience of teaching, she has lectured in various Schools and Departments in and outside of the University of Cape Coast. For research,
Reseach interest / focus: Dr. Karikari is currently focused on neurodegenerative diseases, neuroinflammation and neurotoxicology as pertaining to the Ghanaian context.
Email: akua.karikari@ucc.edu.gh
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