This inaugural issue of ARUA Quarterly brings together four interconnected strands of work that demonstrate how ARUA is building research capacity, generating evidence, and translating knowledge into impact across the continent.
Consultant, ARUA Secretariat
Dr. Emmanuel Adu-Danso is a consultant to ARUA on the ARUA-Carnegie Benchmarking Project. Prior to this, he worked closely with the Secretary General as Network Manager to forge several partnerships with universities, university associations, funding agencies and other collaborating institutions. He is a development economist by training and faculty at the Department of Economics of the University of Ghana.
Dr Emmanuel Abbey works with the African Research Universities Alliance (ARUA) as a consultant. As a consultant, Dr Abbey is involved with ARUA’s institutional data gathering project on member Universities. Dr Abbey is also the immediate past Project Coordinator overseeing the 13 ARUA Centres of Excellence (CoEs). He also provides administrative/organisational support to ARUA. Dr Abbey is a development economist at the University of Ghana.
Professor Jane Ambuko holds a BSc in Agriculture and MSc in Horticulture from the University of Nairobi as well as a PhD in Agricultural Sciences (Pomology and Postharvest Major) from Tsukuba University, Japan. She currently holds the position of Associate Professor and Head of Horticulture at the Department of Plant Science and Crop Protection, University of Nairobi, Kenya. Her training, research, and outreach activities are focused on sustainable and effective solutions to reduce postharvest losses in horticultural value chains. Using the “lab-to-land” approach, Prof. Ambuko works with smallholder farmers and other food value chain practitioners in various capacity building and technology scale-up initiatives. Prof. Ambuko currently serves as the Director of Research and Training at the African Research Universities Alliance (ARUA).
Mr. Fidelis E. Y. Anumu is a seasoned professional known for his extensive experience in research management, programme coordination, and strategic planning, currently serving as the Head of Research Operations at the University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS). He previously held the position of Research Development Officer at the University of Ghana, with interests in health sciences and waste management. He is a committed leader with over 18 years in programme management.
Professor Peter Quartey holds a PhD in Development Economics from the University of Manchester (UK), MSc in Quantitative Development Economics (University of Warwick, UK), MPhil. Economics (Ghana), and BA Economics (Ghana). He is a Professor in Development Economics and the current Acting Director of the Legon Centre for International Affairs and Diplomacy (LECIAD). He was previously the Director of the Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research (ISSER), University of Ghana. He has published extensively and his research interests are: Financial and Monetary Sector, Private Sector Development including SMEs, Development Finance, Migration and Remittances and Poverty Analysis. He has consulted for both local and international institutions including the World Bank, African Development Bank, OECD and USAID.
Dr. Rapheal Wangalwa is a Lecturer in the Department of Biology at Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST), Uganda. He holds a PhD in Biology with specialization in Ecology and Ethnobotany. He is dedicated to advancing ecological research and biodiversity conservation while applying science-based solutions to pressing environmental and public health challenges. With expertise in ecology, microbiology, and GIS/Remote Sensing, he contributes to evidence-based policy and capacity building. Dr. Wangalwa is a PI/Co-PI on several projects, including the FUNGI-BIP a mycorrhizal fungi study project (SPUN-Funded), INTERACT-Africa green technologies initiative (EU-Funded), agro-climatic suitability modelling for key food crops (GoU-Funded), and the Novartem™ and pharma-grade excipients development project (GoU-Funded).
Dr. Precious Wapukha is a lecturer of History in the department of social sciences Kibabii University. She holds a PhD in History from Masinde Muliro University, MA in History from Kibabii University, Bachelors of Education (Arts) from Moi University. Her research focuses on conflict, gender, governance and indigenous knowledge. She is a member of CODESRIA and the African Studies Center Leiden. She has participated in reputable workshops including MIASA, UNESCO and SSRC. She is also an AFRIAK Fellow researching about digitization of Bukusu oral histories as a pathway to cultural preservation.
Dr. Ravaka Felandranja Andriatsitohaina, PhD in Agricultural and Environmental Sciences from University of Antananarivo, is a lecturer-researcher at the Institut Supérieur de Technologie Régional de la Côte-Est, University of Toamasina, Madagascar. Her research focuses on the remediation of degraded soils, particularly those affected by erosion, as well as soils polluted by microplastics and heavy metals, with a strong emphasis on soil health and environmental sustainability. An alumna of the TWAS-SISSA Lincei and Eugen Ionescu programs, she is also the founder of Lonatany Madagascar, a consultancy firm supporting rural communities in their transition toward sustainable agricultural practices.
Dr. Mwende Mbilo is an ARUA–Carnegie–Mastercard Early Career Research Fellow and Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Pretoria. She holds a PhD in Physics from the University of Nairobi, an MSc and a BSc in Physics from Pwani University. Her work focuses on materials science and renewable energy technologies, with a specialization in optoelectronic materials. She has published extensively and received awards, including the L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Young Talents Award and the RSIF Junior Investigator Research Award (2025). Dr. Mbilo leads the RSIF/JIRA project and contributes to the development of next-generation materials for energy harvesting applications.