- Courtesy of the Directorate of International Relations and Advancement (DIRA) led by #Developer Prof. Courage Saba, we bring you this week’s uds@30 Alumni Profile
- Profiled today is Mrs. Justina A. Onumah
- Enjoy the read below as scripted by the DIRA.
Developer of the week by DIRA
- UDS@30 ALUMNI PROFILING SERIES
- The Developer of the Week
- Name: Mrs. Justina A. Onumah
- Programme of study at UDS: BSc. Agriculture Technology
- Campus: Nyankpala
- Current status: Senior Research Scientist at the CSIR-Science and Technology Policy Research Institute (STEPRI)
“The TTPFPP grounded me in community engagement skills and I am forever grateful for such experience. In terms of research skills, I gained analytical and writing skills through TTFPP which have been indispensable assets to my career growth”
Mrs. Justina A. Onumah
Congratulations Developer Justina!!!
Please read his profile below.
Justina Onumah (Formerly Justina Quartey) left UDS, Nyankpala campus in 2008 after she obtained her BSc in Agriculture Technology (Economics and Extension option) degree. She further pursued her MPhil (Agricultural Economics) and now PhD (Development Studies) from the University of Ghana. In addition to these, she had postgraduate exchanges at the University of Guelph, Canada, University of Bonn, Germany, and Aalborg University, Denmark. Currently, she is a Senior Research Scientist at the CSIR-Science and Technology Policy Research Institute (STEPRI), Ghana, in the field of Economics of Innovation and Development. Her main research areas include impact assessment, innovation systems, poverty/welfare analysis, research-policy-industry linkages, climate change, rural development, technology transfer, and science policy and has authored publications in these fields.
She possesses over 10 years of rich research experience through involvement in multiple donor-funded projects and consulting for reputable organisations such as the United Nations Center for Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the UK Department for International Development (DfID). Justina is an award-winning researcher and international speaker with several awards and fellowships to her credit. In 2021, one of her PhD papers was adjudged the Best PhD Student Paper presented at the GLOBELICS conference held in Costa Rica, becoming the first Ghanaian to receive such recognition from that Conference. Her passion is to see more women and action put into STEM through advocacy, mentorship, and stronger research-industry-policy linkages. She is the Next Einstein Forum (NEF) Ambassador for Ghana, an initiative aimed at promoting science in Africa. Justina is also a mentor and serves on initiatives such as the Ghana Science and Technology Explorer Prize and Karpowership’s Girl Power program. She is also a 2022 Fellow of the prestigious Mandela Washington Fellowship for young African leaders by the US Department of State. She is a Member of the Board of Directors for the Center for Knowledge and Research Management (PACKS Africa), whose mission is to influence the use of research and other forms of knowledge in the development of policies in Africa.
Justina’s interest in research and advocacy has its roots traced to the rich field experience received from UDS, i.e. the Third Trimester Field Practical Programme (TTFPP). The TTPFPP grounded me in community engagement skills and I am forever grateful for such experience. In terms of research skills, I gained analytical and writing skills through TTFPP which have been indispensable assets to my career growth.
To the current students, know that you are privileged to be in UDS (you will understand this better when you get to the job market). Do not allow the environment you find yourself limit your dreams and aspirations. UDS gives you a good preparatory ground for the future of work, hence, make good use of that rare opportunity and let every moment and opportunity count!
Long live the great Baobab family!
