- 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 Dr. Charles Yaw Okyere
- 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: Dr. Charles Yaw Okyere
- Programme of study at UDS: BSc. Agriculture Technology
- Campus: Nyankpala
- Current status: Senior Lecturer, Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness, University of Ghana, Legon
“Two words describe a “typical” UDS alumni: resilience and versatile. These attributes which are relevant for success in academia and career advancement are as a result of the famous “Third Trimester Field Practical Programme (TTFPP)”, the multi-campus nature of the University and finally, the broad nature of the academic programmes offered (i.e. number of courses undertaken). I came to UDS, Nyankpala Campus as a teenager, and the training and experiences gained from 2003 to 2007 have supported me in diverse ways during my academic journey. These fond memories will be cherished forever. I am eternally grateful to all the lecturers, workers and colleagues for the support during my stay in Nyankpala.”
Dr. Charles Yaw Okyere
Congratulations Developer Okyere!!!
Please read his profile below.
Charles Yaw Okyere holds a Doctor of Agricultural Sciences (Dr. Agr.) degree from the University of Bonn, Germany. He had doctoral (Ph.D.) studies at the Department of Economic and Technological Change, Center for Development Research (ZEF) under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Joachim von Braun. Charles was appointed as a Lecturer at the Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness, University of Ghana, Legon in December 2018 and promoted to Senior Lecturer in June 2022 (with retrospective effect from September 2021). He teaches Fisheries Economics, and co-teaches Project Analysis, Farm Management, Econometrics and Economic Theory at the Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness, and Department of Marine and Fisheries Sciences.
In July 2021, Charles was selected as a DAAD climapAfrica Postdoc Fellow, working on a project entitled: The Impact of Climate-Smart Soil Fertility Intervention on Food and Nutrition Security of Farm Households in Northern Ghana. He was a Visiting Guest Researcher at ZEF, under the DAAD climapAfrica Postdoc Fellowship Program from May to July 2022. In September 2017, he was selected as part of ten fellows for the inaugural EIB-GDN Program in Applied Development Finance.
In December 2021, Charles started a new position as a Research Associate working on a Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF)’s funded project at the International Centre for Evaluation and Development (ICED), entitled: Infrastructure’s Impact on Nutritious Diet, Women’s Economic Empowerment and Gender Equality (IINDWEGE). In May 2013, he successfully completed 14.73x: The Challenges of Global Poverty, an online learning initiative of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) through edX.
Charles holds a Master of Philosophy degree in Agricultural Economics from the University of Ghana and also worked with Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research (ISSER) from February 2012 to September 2012 as a Research Assistant. Between 2009 and 2012, Charles worked for research organizations (including International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Institute for Democratic Governance (IDEG), and ACDI/VOCA) on a part-time basis on data collection, entry, and analysis. In 2007, he graduated with Bachelor of Science degree (second class honors (upper division)) in Agriculture Technology (Agricultural Economics and Extension option) from the University for Development Studies, Tamale, Ghana.
His research interest areas include the application of behavioral, experimental and quasi-experimental economic techniques to health, education, agriculture, and welfare. He has skills in conducting socio-economic surveys (for instance, data collection and analysis) and has been involved in the collection of data in several regions of Ghana and Kenya on various development issues, using both quantitative and qualitative techniques. He has experience in managing funds for impact evaluations including budgeting and rendering of accounts to the GIZ Ghana Office, Accra; DAAD, Germany; Global Development Network, India; and University of Bonn, Germany. Since 2015, he has participated in international conferences with funding from University of Bonn, Germany; Poverty Reduction, Equity and Growth Network (PEGNet), Germany; African Economic Research Consortium (AERC), Kenya; Global Development Network (GDN), India; and other organizations.
