The LUG TEAM
- Cynthia Forson – LLB, LLM, MBA, PHD
Role: Principal Investigator, Entrepreneurship and Innovation Work Package, LUG
Associate Professor Cynthia Forson is the Deputy Provost at Lancaster University Ghana.
Cynthia teaches Organisational Behaviour and Human Resource Management and her research centres on the work, leadership and management experiences of women in the labour market and organisations and has published several articles in this area. She focuses particularly on gender, ethnicity, class and migrant status and the intersectional influence of these structures in the lives and careers of women.
Dr Forson’s pays particular attention in her research on black and ethnic minority women in the labour market and organisations and has conducted several projects on the issues of equality and diversity in this regard including projects for the UK Department of Constitutional Affairs (now Ministry of Justice), the UK Equal Opportunities Commission (now called Equality and Human Rights Commission), the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and the Royal Academy of Engineering, UK. Cynthia’s research interests now extend to the work and labour market encounters of African women in Africa and the Diaspora and has a particular interest in the development of management theories that reflect the lived work experiences of women in different African contexts.
- Priscilla Ntriwaa Otuo, PhD.
Role: Research Associate, Entrepreneurship and Innovation Work Package, LUG
With more than a decade of experience in public relations, lecturing, research and volunteering work, Priscilla brings on board her wealth of experience and her in-depth knowledge on SME start-up and growth. Her research, industry and teaching experience— which include developing, planning and delivering a broad range of modules in Entrepreneurship, Marketing, Strategy and SMEs, conducting research on entrepreneurship in Africa, working with various SMEs and volunteering,— have provided her with a broad perspective of SME challenges and growth.
She takes keen interest in African entrepreneurship and is passionate about supporting it through applied research and capacity building activities. Priscilla’s research interests include firm start-up and growth in developing economies, with particular emphasis on portfolio entrepreneurship, entrepreneurial networks and firm innovation.
- Anthony N-yelkabong
Anthony is a Research and Engagement Officer of the RECIRCULATE project in Lancaster University Ghana (LUG). He is a social scientist with specialization in Integrated Development Studies focusing on Environment and Resource Management. His current role is to stimulate intrapreneurial thinking across Africa (SETA). This focus on co-developing curriculum and learning resources for stimulating entrepreneurial thinking in scientists (SETS) programme for RECIRCULATE partners.
Before joining the RECIRCULATE project, he worked as a research assistant for Endogenous Development Service (EDS), a research consultum based in Wa, Upper West Region, Ghana. Anthony has participated in series of research works on the environment, water, sanitation, climate change, health, women empowerment, agricultural development, small and medium scale enterprises, disabilities and human wellbeing.
He also worked as a programme manager in a local organisation in Wa called Better Life and Trust Foundation, a member organisation of Inclusion Ghana which focuses on advocating for the right of persons with intellectual disability (PWIDs). The organisation also advocates for women access to land in the northern part of Ghana sponsored by ACTIONAID.
He worked as a teaching assistant in University for Development Studies (UDS), Tamale, Wa campus. He assisted in the delivery of courses such as; Environmental Studies, Principles of Natural Resource Management, and Environmental Education. He also assisted in the supervision of students’ dissertations in the university.
- Afua Konadu Owusu-Kwarteng
Afua Konadu Owusu-Kwarteng is a young female development practitioner who is passionate about addressing poverty and gender inequality. She holds an Advanced Master’s in Development Evaluation and Management from the University of Antwerp, Belgium, and also a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work and Sociology from the University of Ghana. Afua is known for her love and commitment to the field of research and development, and has worked on several projects including the Ghana Commercial Agricultural Project (GCAP), Ghana Bridge Power (GBP), and the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area Water and Sanitation project (GAMA-SWP). Currently, she works as a Research/Engagement Officer on the RECIRCULATE project, where she acts in the capacity of a Network Manager for the Women Innovators Network in Africa (WINA). WINA evolved out of RECIRCULATE, a £6.8 million UK government Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) supported project led by Lancaster University UK, with partners in Ghana, Nigeria, Malawi, Zambia, Botswana and Kenya. WINA is a multi-cultural and multi-gender network that revolves around female leadership and networking. It focuses on co-creating a network across Africa in order to provide peer support (mentoring) and leadership support (coaching and training) for emerging female leaders across Africa.
- Patrick Appiah
Researcher and Social Development Consultant. I have over seven (7) years’ experience in the area of Research, Program Planning, Monitoring, Evaluation and Data Management whilst working with Developmental Organizations (JSI Research and Training Institute, FHI360, World Bank, Centre for Disease Control and Prevention USA), Universities (University of Ghana, KNUST, University of Michigan, Lancaster University Ghana etc.) and other Government Institutions (Ghana AIDS Commission, Ghana Education Service, Ministry of Agric, Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection) in the areas of health promotion and livelihood improvement. I also have extensive experience in training and facilitation; I have facilitated several learning events in my previous roles. Currently I am the Research and Engagement Officer (IRP, FITA) at Lancaster University Ghana on the RECIRCULATE project. RECIRCULATE is a £6.8M project funded by Research Council UK through the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF). The project has Entrepreneurship and Innovation work package which examines how African eco-innovation system work. As a Research and Engagement Officer for FITA, i.e. Fostering Incubation Technology in Africa, this aspect of the project focus on exploring, understanding and sharing experiences of incubation models in knowledge intensive environments across RECIRCULATE partners (such as universities and research institutes).
The LUG RECIRCULATE team supports the Entrepreneurship and Innovation work package of the RECIRCULATE project. The Entrepreneurship and Innovation Work-package examines how African eco-innovation systems work by addressing the core research question: What is the optimum ‘ecosystem’ for African research institutions to work with, in and for their communities? Watch Professor Nigel Lockett’s video on the importance of entrepreneurship and innovation in the water economy by following this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfbD1OV7mFk