The seemingly simple question, ‘What do you do?’ is a little more complicated for some than others. Even if I weren’t inherently anti-establishment (according to one high school housemistress), my answer to this question would almost always be, as my former law professor once taught me, ‘It depends.’

You will see some academic work on this site. But I am at heart a pracademic; i.e., one who straddles academia and policy, and aims to ensure symbiosis between both aspects of my work. I arrived here after working many years in civil society and observing the gaps between policy/practice and theory after joining academia. It seemed only logical to try to reconcile both worlds.

With specialisms in gender, conflict and security, and civil society, civic space and social movements, her current academic work includes women and violent extremism in Africa, decolonising international relations and new dimensions of transnational activism. My life as a civil society practitioner comprises building cognitive and technical capacities on security sector reform and governance, empowering women through entrepreneurial diversification and gender and the implementation of the Women, Peace and Security Agenda. I also conduct policy research on issues of interest, such as this 2021 commissioned report on “The impact of COVID-19 on gender equality and women’s livelihoods in rural Ghana’.

Two values tie together everything I do: my feminism and advocacy for women’s rights, and my African identity and love for this continent and its people.

I have held research positions in several regional and international NGOs, including International Crisis Group (ICG)

I am a three-time SSRC fellow, having received the 2017 Next Generation Social Sciences in Africa: Doctoral Dissertation Proposal Fellowship, the 2019 Next Generation Social Sciences in Africa: Doctoral Dissertation Research Fellowship, and a 2018 African Peacebuilding Network (APN) Individual Research Grant. 

Non-professional trivia:

• I love sports (except football)
• I am a big enthusiast and collector of African-inspired decor. Check out my design page here.
• I founded and co-run with Dr. Zibah Nwako, Doing A PhD in Africa – a support network of early career scholars on the continent.

Past clients and partners