Expert Profile
I am an experienced and competent Natural Resource Scientist and a Development Change Facilitator. I hold a Bachelors in Natural Resources Management and presently pursuing a Masters in Governance and Sustainable Development from the University of Cape Coast, Ghana. I have extensive experiences in project management, programme design, Environmental Impact Assessment, Strategic Environmental Assessment, Indigenous Development and M&E, and a repertoire of forestry related activities including REDD+.
I am a leading voice in Ghana on forest policy reforms that allow communities a greater access, management, and benefit from forest resources. An advocate of local ownership of biodiversity conservation processes, he has worked with communities, traditional leadership, governments, civil society and private sector in Ghana. I was one of the pioneer implementers of the Community Based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM) concept in Ghana, which is being adapted to address the challenges of delivering community benefits under Payment for Eco-systems Services (PES) and REDD+. I am currently a leading member of the Civil Society group (Forest Watch Ghana) participating in the ongoing forest policy and legal review in Ghana and provide professional expertise to CSOs on community based forest management mechanisms within the context of sustainable forest management.
I bring over 10yrs experience from successful work in different organisations, on full time and consultancy basis including the Environmental Protection Agency, CARE International, ***** ***** , International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Forest Watch Ghana and the National Forest Forum. I currently work with ***** ***** USAID funded FCCA project in Ghana as the Community Forestry & Enterprise Development Specialist.
***** *****, TREES program, Community Forestry and Enterprise Development Specialist responsible for leading TREES technical support to community based forest enterprises (CBFEs) in Ghana to implement sustainable management practices and increase business skills and production capacity. I guide the TREES team’s efforts in Ghana to ensure long-term sustainable forest management at the community level and increase access to sustainable forest products and carbon markets for community managed forests. I facilitate increased community capacity for communication with government authorities, technical service providers, potential investors and the private sector to ensure full engagement in value-added for wood and non timber forest products and carbon financing initiatives through the Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD) mechanism. November 2009 till date. The ***** ***** (RA) is an international nonprofit organization that works to conserve biodiversity and ensure sustainable livelihoods by transforming land-use practices, business practices and consumer behavior. Based in New York City, with offices throughout the United States and worldwide, the ***** ***** works with people whose livelihoods depend on the land, helping them transform the way they grow food, harvest wood and host travelers.
CARE International, Ghana; Project Manager with lead responsibility in providing strategic direction; ensure effective management and monitoring of partnership development and implementation; ensure component management; manage and supervise project staff and partners; building linkages and networks with key district, regional and national stakeholders; and contribute to ANR Portfolio development and management. CARE International is a non-profit organization operating globally and undertaking Agriculture and natural resources programs in Ghana
MA (Sandwich)
Governance and Sustainable Development
Institute of Development Studies, UCC, Ghana
May 2008 to August 2010.
BSc. Natural Resources Management (Silviculture & forest resources management)
IRNR, KNUST, Kumasi
January 1995 to Spetember 2000
Centre for Rural Solutions, Centre for Cosmovision and Indigenous Knowledge, Centre for Indigenous Knowledge and Organizational Development.
Setting out baselines standards for monitoring in ten (10) districts in Western and Brong Ahafo regions of Ghana – community clustering
• Design and implement a criteria for clustering
• Undertake clustering with 3 treatment clusters and 1 control cluster
• Develop cluster database for impact monitoring and evaluationSeptember 2009 International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA)
Promotion of indigenous and endogenous development systems through
• Research into threatened indigenous crop varieties in the Upper East Region
• Establishment of in-situ indigenous crop seed bank
• Seeds and planting material collection
• Production test plots
• Field testingFebruary to July 2006 Centre for Cosmovision and Indigenous Knowledge (CECIK), Bolgatanga, UER
Community radio programme design and feedback gathering /review in the Upper East Region.
May 2004 – July 2006
CARE International, CECIK, UDS
Environmental Impact Assessment on different models of bushfire management in BURN project Communities, Upper East Region.
• Baseline survey
• Monitoring
• Final evaluationJuly 2004 – May 2006 CARE International, CECIK, UDS
Community environmental education and outreach in the Upper East Region.
• Design of communication strategy
• Design of documentation plan
• Monitoring of the implementation of the strategyAugust 2002 – July 2006 NSBCP, SRMC
Degraded land restoration activities in the areas of; community profiles, community needs assessment, nursery activities, training, soil and water conservation and livelihoods
July 2002 – July 2006
NSBCP, SRMC
Project for Improving Water Governance along the White Volta Basin – a joint project implemented in Ghana and Burkina Faso
• Community consultative fora
• Restoration activities
• Information gathering and dissemination
February 2005 – July 2006
ZOVFA, WRC, PAGEV
Project design and proposal development.
I started this in 2004 and have since written proposals at different times for some of the beneficiaries. This is as and when the beneficiary NGOs seeks my expertise.May 2004 – November 2009
CARE International; Centre for Cosmovision and Indigenous Knowledge; Forum for Social Development Communications; Rural Environmental Care Association; Conservation Foundation; New Generation Concern; National Forestry Forum; and Centre for Rural Solutions.