Palesa Nqambaza is an essayist and researcher whose work sits at the intersections of gender and race studies within the context of South African political history. Her work draws from indigenous epistemologies and various Black cultural forms to explore the intellectual and political dimensions of contemporary South Africa. Her current core project is an intellectual archaeology of South African feminist traditions. She is a CDTA Postdoctoral fellow at the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa, and a recipient of the ARUA Early Career Fellowship, based at the Notions of Identity, Centre of Excellence.
Dr. Dorothy Khasisi Lukhabi is a Post-Doctoral Fellow at the Africa Centre of Excellence in Coastal Resilience/Centre for Coastal Management (ACECoR/CCM) at the University of Cape Coast, and an ARUA/Carnegie Early Career Research Fellow at the University of Ghana. She earned her PhD in Oceanography and Limnology from the University of Cape Coast, an MSc degree in Limnology and Wetland Management jointly offered by University of Life Sciences (Austria), Egerton University (Kenya), and Institute of Water Education (IHE) – Delft (The Netherlands), and a BSc degree in Environmental Science from Egerton University. Her areas of interest include; water quality monitoring, benthic macroinvertebrate ecology and taxonomy, marine ecology and the integration of climate research and citizen science to enhance community resilience. Her current research focuses on maladaptive impacts of Climate Change Adaptation (CCA) interventions on coastal communities.The International Society of Limnology has honored Dorothy with several awards, such as the Wetzel travel award, a small research grant, and recognition for the best-published article in Limnology. She has contributed to leading journals and book series on aquatic systems and water quality indices, with her work cited more than 100 times. Other engagements include the NFRF- funded Coast-Man project, co-ordination of Research Council of Norway’s CoastAfrica Project, environmental outreaches, professional networks, and regional capacity building.
Dr. Emmanuel Ameyaw is an economics and finance lecturer at the University of Ghana Business School (UGBS). He is also a fellow at the Faculty of Business and Accounting, Botho University (Botswana), and currently serving as a research fellow at the African Research Universities Alliance (ARUA) Centre of Excellence for Unemployment and Skills Development (ARUA-USD, CoE). He graduated from Tohoku University in Japan with a Ph.D. in Economics in November 2023 and began his academic career in 2024. His teaching and research interests are in the areas of macroeconomics, monetary economics, finance, and business research (both quantitative and qualitative).
Dr. Grace Oluwatoyin Oladunni is an expert in urban security, crime prevention, environmental, and infrastructure planning. She has a diploma in Town Planning from Kwara State Polytechnic. She attained B.Sc, M.Sc and PhD degrees in Urban and Regional Planning from Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria. A researcher in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning, University of Ibadan. In 2013, she received the Carnegie Award and was also a beneficiary of the United Kingdom Research and Innovation/African Research Universities Ph.D. Grant in 2021. An alumna of the Carrington Youth Fellowship Initiative. A leader with passion for development and change.
Dr. Hervé Nenghem Takam holds a PhD in Economics from the University of Dschang, Cameroon. His PhD thesis was funded by a grant from the African Economic Research Consortium (AERC). He is currently a Research Associate in the Centre for Studies and Research in Economics and Management (CERME) at the University of Dschang. His areas of interest include: macroeconomics, development economics, energy transition, climate change, sustainable development, and the informal economy. He is the author and co-author of several research articles in this field, published in prestigious peer-reviewed journals. He is currently a postdoctoral fellow of the ARUA program for Young Researchers, supported by the Mastercard Foundation and the Carnegie Corporation of New York. He is also a member of the ARUA Center of Excellence (CoE) in Urbanization and Habitable Cities at the University of Lagos in Nigeria.
Dr. Adetoun Alaba Akitoye is a Lecturer at the Department of Chemistry, University of Lagos. Her research area focuses on Food Security, specializing in smart, biodegradable food packaging and sensor-integrated technologies for reducing postharvest losses. She holds a PhD from the University of Lagos and has published impactful works in several high-profile journals. She has been a recipient of several competitive scholarships and fellowships, and has attracted grants from World Connect, USA and Lagos State Research and Innovation Council, Nigeria. She has also been blessed with several awards, including the Best Overall PhD Thesis (University of Lagos, 2025), IUPAC Women in Chemistry Recognition (2025), and TechWomen Fellowship, USA (2022). She currently serves as Vice Chair, National Roots and Tree Crops Standards Committee of the Standard Organization of Nigeria, and leads several waste valorization and youth-focused agri-tech innovation projects. She is currently one of the ARUA Mastercard Fellows at CoE-SFS, University of Pretoria, South Africa.
Dr. Janet A. Osei is a Research Assistant with the WASCAL Doctoral Research Programme in Climate Change and Energy at Abdou Moumouni University, where she recently completed a PhD in Climate Change and Energy. She holds an MSc in Environmental Science from Kenyatta University and a First-Class BSc in Environmental Science from KNUST. Her research focuses on sustainable transport, renewable energy and climate impacts on fuel consumption and emissions. She has published multiple peer-reviewed articles and received prestigious scholarships from WASCAL/BMBF and the EU Intra-Africa Mobility Programme. Her current work includes transport decarbonisation research and interdisciplinary climate-energy projects.
Dr. Alemayehu Erkihun Engida is an Associate Professor of History at Wollo University-Ethiopia. He earned his PhD in History from Bahir Dar University in 2020 and done PhD Dissertation on the Sudan-Ethiopia border issue. His research and publication focus on border dispute and the lived experiences of borderland communities in Africa. He has published extensively in internationally peer-reviewed journals. His current research interest relies on the intersection of climate/resources driven conflicts, state fragility in the Horn of Africa, and uncertainties in the Ethio-Eritrean Relations. He is currently an ARUA Fellow at the Institute for Peace and Security Studies, Addis Ababa University
Dr. Kemi Rebecca Kehinde is a lecturer in the Department of Languages and Linguistics at Anchor University, Lagos. She holds a PhD in African Literature and an MA in English Literature from the University of Ibadan and Covenant University respectively. Her research examines gender, cultural politics, and African literary expressions. As an ARUA Early Career Research Fellow, she focuses on postcolonial trauma, gendered violence, and the emergence of new femininities in post-conflict African societies. She has received student-led awards for teaching excellence and has led creative and academic initiatives that support youth development and literary engagement.
Dr. Annif’ Akem Fiennasah is a development economist currently completing a six month research Internship with UN Women’s East and Southern Africa Regional Office. Akem holds a PhD in Development Economics from the University of Dschang and an MSc in Applied Economics from the University of Yaoundé II in collaboration with Université de Rennes 1. Her research focuses on gender inequalities and women economic empowerment. Akem has published in peer-reviewed journals such as the Review of Development Economics and presented at internatinaol conferences such as the center for the study of African Economies. Her ongoing work supports evidence generation on women’s economic empowerment.
