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Professor Albert Awedoba

Position: 
Professor
Email: 
akawedoba@ug.edu.gh
Section: 
Societies and Cultures
Profile

Awedoba, FGA (Fellow of the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences) is a professor at the Institute of African Studies, University of Ghana, and former Deputy Director.

He has been visiting researcher/Professor at a number of universities. He was Takemi Research Fellow, HSPH, Harvard University (1997-8); visiting researcher, Univ. of Trondheim (NTNU), Norway (2005 and 2009); Univ. of Bergen, Norway (2006); Univ. of Tromso, Norway (2009). He was visiting professor at the Wolfgang Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany (2008). Was awarded a Rockefeller Foundation Residency at the Rockefeller Centre at Bellagio, Italy in 2012.

He has been external examiner for the following: Univ. of Cape Coast Inst. of Education, 1988-1992, UCC African Studies Dept. (2006-2009); Polytechnics of Ghana (NABPTEX African Studies programmes (2003-2008); Univ. of Education, Winneba (1993-date), the NTNU, Trondheim and the University for Development Studies. He has also been external Assessor for promotion of senior faculty (Professorship, Associate professorships, and Senior lecturerships) – TICCS/Akrofi-Christaller Institute; University of Cape Coast, and University of Sierra Leone.

He has served on National Accreditation Board (NAB) accreditation panels – B.Sc. Tourism (KNUST) and B.A Tourism, University of Cape Coast; African Studies Programmes: Ashesi University and Cape Coast University.

Among institutions for which he served as consultant are the following: WHO, OCP/APOC, UNFPA, UNIDIR (Acute Respiratory Illnesses; Onchocerciasis; Trachoma; Community Directed Treatment; Migration and Onchocerciasis in the Lower Volta; Family Planning and Reproductive Health).

Served as the Institute’s publications office responsible for the publication of the IAS journal and occasional publications - 2011-2018 and General Editor of the Contemporary Journal of African Studies. Editor of the Universitas – UG Inter-faculty Journal (2006-2010).

Since 2014 has served as Chairman of the Graduate Studies Committee of the Institute and Chair of the Departmental Teaching Assessment Committee since the DTAC was established in 2016. 

Coordinator of the Social Science Research Council (SSRC) Next Generation African programme hub on the campus (2012-2015).

Has participated in and read papers at a number of international workshops and conferences

He was President of the Pan African Association of Anthropologists in 2004-5. As chairman of a number of international conference planning committees I have been instrumental in obtaining funds and financial support from institutions like Wenner Gren Foundation, the Open Society of West Africa (OSIWA), the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA), The Commonwealth Secretariat, University of Conferences Committee and the ORID among others. Other monetary awards over the years include the following: NUFU Supplementing Activities (SA) scheme in spring 2009; TALIF grant for publication of UNIVERSITAS, 2006; Sustainable Peace Initiative “Northern Conflicts and Response Mechanisms”; Wenner Gren Foundation for Anthropological Research – research grant, 1995; WHO - for research on health and related issues – 1993.

 

Education

Educated in linguistics and social anthropology at the Universities of Ghana and Oxford, Awedoba, holds a D.Phil. (Social Anthropology).

Researh Areas

His research interests include core anthropological issues — marriage, kinship, prestations, traditional religions, sanitation and health issues (Acute Respiratory Infections, Onchocerciasis, trachoma, among others); oral literatures of some Northern Ghanaian communities - Kasena Riddles and Proverbs and maiden songs; Primary school education in Ghana (Household Demand for School; Improving Quality of Primary Education - IEQII; Chieftaincy, governance and development; Understanding Corruption in Ghana; Northern Region Conflicts and Response Mechanisms; Reproductive health and family planning, and Kasem Grammar and Phonology, etc.

Recent Publications

I have published a number of items singly or jointly.

Books written include:

  • Kasena proverbs (2000)
  • Kasena Riddles (2010)
  • Kasem Phonology (2002)
  • 2003 Household Demand for Schooling in Ghana: Calverton: ORC Macro 2002. 74 pages (Awedoba A. K., P. S. Yoder, Kristi. Fair, Stephanie Gorin),
  • 2008 Cultural Sensitivity and Programming. The Case of Government of Ghana-UNFPA 5th Country Programme, 2006-2010. Teshie-Accra: UNFPA,
  • Ethnographical Study of Northern Ghanaian Conflicts (2010),
  • 2013 UGRC 220 Culture and Development. Legon: Institute of Continuing and Distance Education.

Awedoba has edited a number of books and monographs alone or jointly. These include the following:

  • 2016:   Awedoba, Gordon, Sutherland-Addy and Adomako Ampofo Revisiting African Studies in a Globalised World. (Smartline)
  • 2015     Ampene, Adomako Ampofo, Adjei and Awedoba (eds.) Discourses in African Musicology: J.H. Kwabena Nketia Festschrift. Michigan: University of Michigan Press
  • 2006     Odotei I. K and A. K. Awedoba: Chieftaincy in Africa: Culture, Governance and Development Legon, Accra: Sub-Saharan Publishers.
  • 2005     Reviewed and edited Practical Social Studies for Junior Secondary Schools course books I, II, and III and Teacher’s Guide I, II, III authored by D. Obiri-Yeboah and J. Adu-Yeboah Kwodwoan Publishing: Accra
  • 2004     Edited and advised on the JSS Ghanaian Language course books for Kasem sponsored by ASEMPA publishers
Teaching and Supervision

Teaches a number courses including UGRC (Main & City campuses and Distance Education), AFST 613 (Core course at the IAS), and AFST 722 (PhD elective course). Co-taught AFST 601 – Core research methods course, and AFST 602 (Elective research methods course): 2010-2017.