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.
My name is Dr. Toleshi Teshome Ketema. I am a researcher and lecturer at the Chemistry Department and a Postgraduate Program Director at Bonga University, Ethiopia. I graduated from Jimma University by PhD in Analytical Chemistry on July 1, 2024, MSc in Analytical Chemistry from Haramaya University on June 28, 2018 and BSc in Chemistry from Jimma University on June 18, 2016. My research focuses on the synthesis of nanomaterials for diverse applications, particularly in sensing and photocatalysis for applications in agriculture, food safety, and water quality. I have a proven track record of publishing numerous articles in esteemed international and national journals. I am actively involved in the Society for Women and HIV/AIDS in Africa, Ethiopia, where I have successfully conducted training on school-based peer learning related to gender inequalities.
Dr. Tunde Lewis Yusuf is a Lecturer in Inorganic and Materials Chemistry at the University of Pretoria, South Africa. He holds a PhD in Chemistry from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, an MSc (Distinction) from the University of Ibadan, and a BSc (Hons) from the University of Ilorin. His research focuses on nanostructured materials for a sustainable environment. He has published extensively and received competitive grants from the Royal Society of Chemistry, the Water Research Council, and the Medical Research Council. Dr Yusuf leads projects on piezo-photocatalysis, supervises postgraduate students, and engages in collaborative research advancing clean water and energy solutions.
Dr. Williams Appau Miller is a Lecturer at the Department of Real Estate, University of Business and Integrated Development Studies (UBIDS), Wa, Ghana, and a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Lagos, Nigeria. He holds a PhD in Built Environment (Durban University of Technology), MPhil in Development Management (University for Development Studies), MSc in Geo-Information Science (University of Twente), and BSc in Real Estate (University for Development Studies). His research specializes in Sustainable Real Estate and Facilities. A recipient of the ARUA Early-Career Fellowship Award, he is currently working on the integration of Adaptive HVAC Systems in shopping malls.
Dr. Mildred Awuor Airo is a Lecturer and Head of Nanomaterials Research in the Department of Chemistry at Maseno University, Kenya. She holds a PhD in Chemistry from the University of the Witwatersrand and a BSc (Hons) from Egerton University, and has completed three postdoctoral fellowships in South Africa. Her research focuses on functional nanomaterials for renewable energy, environmental sensing, and circular economy applications using biochar-derived materials. She has over 30 peer-reviewed publications (h-index 11), has received international awards from OWSD/TWAS-DFG, NRF South Africa, the Vallee Foundation, and the ARUA–Mastercard–Carnegie ECR Fellowship, and secured grants from Afretech–Carnegie Mellon, the Royal Society of Chemistry, and PHC France–Kenya Pamoja. She is an active STEM and DEI advocate, mentoring young scientists, bridging gender gaps through workshops and outreach, and consulting with Angaza Africa and E-Safiri.
Dr. Mujittapha Umar Sirajo is a Lecturer in the Department of Anatomy, Federal University of Health Sciences, Azare. He holds a PhD in Anatomy (Neuroscience) from Bayero University Kano. His current research focuses developing cost-effective nutritional and mobile‐health interventions to slow the progression of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease in low-resource settings. His work has attracted multiple international grants and recognitions, including Internal Brain Research Organization (2020, 2022, 2024), International Society for Neurochemistry (ISN) (2024), CAJAL Neurokit Grant (2023), among others. He has published 10 articles in high-impact Scopus indexed journals. He teaches anatomy, mentors students and collaborates to translate research into policy and practice.