Dr. Ezekiel Kojo Acquaah

University of Ghana
Climate Change, Environmental Management

Associated Member of the Young Academy for Sustainability Research (YAS)
October 2024 – September 2027

Last Update: 26.03.2025

Curriculum Vitae

I am an Environmental and Climate Scientist and a Research Fellow with the Institute for Environment and Sanitation Studies of the University of Ghana and a Fellow of the Young Academy for Sustainability Research project with the University of Freiburg. My research interest lies within the area of climate interactions and vulnerability, climate change management and modelling, and environmental management and sustainability research. In an effort to provide sustainable climate interventions, I also research into nature-based solutions and indigenous knowledge to see the interactions between the two and how they can be used to provide enhanced and sustainable climate change interventions within climate-related vulnerable communities.

I was a member of a collaborative research team that researched into “Standards for official statistics on Climate-Health Interactions”. The purpose was to investigate into the use of climate and health secondary data that will help conduct policy-relevant research to produce informative or innovative ideas of policy relevance to support the monitoring of the progress towards the sustainable development goals.

I am also a reviewer of international journals including the Earth Systems and Environment Journal, the Africa Journal of Science, Technology, Innovation and Development, and the Local Environment Journal. I am also a fellow of the Merian Institute for Advanced Studies in Africa (MIASA).

In 2022, I obtained my doctoral degree in Environmental Management from the University of South Africa where I looked at the sustainability of hydro-power production admits climate change interactions specifically assessing the impact of climate change on hydro-power generation.

Selected Publications

Acquaah, Ezekiel, Adiku, Samuel G. K., Narh, Stephen & Tettey, Abigail (2019). Climate Change: Variability and Biophysical Land Use in Ghana. Afram Publications (Ghana) Ltd., University of Ghana, pp 1 – 19, 173 – 187. Available at the University of Ghana Balme Library and the Office of Research, Innovation and Development.
Acquaah, E. K., Mearns, K. & Agyepong, A. (2024). Assessing The Resilience of Adaptation Measures: Conceptual Frameworks for A Case Study of Ghana’s Keta Sea Defense System African Journal of Climate Change and Resource Sustainability, 3(1), 259-271. https://doi.org/10.37284/ajccrs.3.1.2160.
Parry-Hanson Kunadu, Angela & F. Aboagye, Eurydice & K. Colecraft, Esi & E. Otoo, Gloria & Y. B. Adjei, Maame & Acquaah, Ezekiel & Afrifah-Anane, Ernest & J. N. Amissah, Joris. (2019). Low Consumption of Indigenous Fresh Dairy Products in Ghana Attributed to Poor Hygienic Quality. Journal of Food Protection. 82. 276-286. 10.4315/0362-028X.JFP-18-146. Available online at: http://dx.doi.org/10.4315/0362-028X.JFP-18-146.
Adjei MYB, Amissah JGN, Parry-Hanson Kunadu A, Acquaah E, Colecraft E, et al. (2018). Drivers-of-Liking (DOL) for Boiled Milk among Women of Reproductive Age and Children Aged between One and Five Years in Per-Urban Communities in Ghana. J Food Sci Nut 4: 034. Available online at: http://dx.doi.org/10.24966/FSN-1076/100034 ; http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7839381.
Acquaah E.K. and Carboo, Physico-Chemical and Bacteriological Quality of the Weija and Kpong Dam (2015). Journal of Ghana Science Association, pg 1-15. Available online at: https://www.academia.edu/33728970/GSA_pdf.

FRIAS Project

Profiling and harnessing nature-based solutions and indigenous knowledge for enhanced and sustainable climate change interventions

Climate change has undoubtedly become one of the world’s challenges with its consequential effect on sustainability and socio-economic impact. Efforts are being made across all levels – community, state, continental and global levels to cut emission of fossil fuel and develop sustainable interventions to curb or minimize the effects of climate change. My FRIAS project research into nature-based solutions and indigenous knowledge and how the two can be harnessed and combined to provide enhanced climate change interventions. The goal is to co-create with climate-related vulnerable communities mitigative and adaptive sustainable climate change interventions through community participation, capacity development and knowledge sharing among researchers, community members and other stakeholders. The goal would be achieved as the research specifically seeks to:

Profile historical nature-based solutions (NBS) and indigenous knowledge (IK) that was once available to check the impacts of climate change but currently no more due to anthropegenic and/or other factors.
Determine and understand the facilitators and barriers to nature-based solutions and indigenous knowledge practices that hinders or enables efforts of the local communities in dealing with the impact of climate change.
Use the data acquired in 1 and 2 to co-create appropriate best-practices and community-based sustainable interventions including technologies such as early warning systems.
Use the data acquired to develop an Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems that could compliment the provision of sustainable climate interventions.

Keywords: Climate change, Sustainability, Nature-based, Indigenous Knowledge, Artificial Intelligence.