Interview with DAAD-alumna of the Ghanaian-German Center for Development Studies

Interview with Antoinette Cecilia Tsiboe-Darko

Antoinette is a DAAD PhD alumna who graduated in August 2015 at the Ghanaian-German Centre for Development Studies (GGCDS) doctoral program in Accra, Ghana. Her research focused on the integration of the oil and gas sector with economic activities in a coastal community in Ghana. She is currently working at the Center for Social Policy Studies of the University of Ghana.

How did you benefit from being part of the GGCDS Doctoral Program?

The DAAD stipend lifted the financial burden and enabled me to dedicate myself full-time to my PhD studies besides fulfilling my family duties as a mother of four children. The structured courses at ZEF and the University of Bonn encouraged me to finish my PhD within three years. The GGCDS program instigated more structured PhD courses in the Ghanaian academic landscape, which were not given before the GGCDS program started.

How did your career develop after you finished your PhD?

When I graduated and obtained my PhD, I was offered a position as a full research fellow at the Center for Social Policy Studies at the University of Ghana. I had begun working as a lecturer there during my doctoral studies. In 2016, I became associated with the Partnership for African Governance Research just as they were rolling out a Master’s Program in Research of Public Policy. Shortly thereafter, I was asked to coordinate the program. It was challenging but also taught me a lot. Therefore, much of the focus of my own research has moved into the realm of evidence-based policy research now. I am still teaching courses at the Center for Social Policy Studies and have developed a lot of expertise and capacity in teaching based on these activities.

Are you still connected with the GGCDS as an alumna?

The  Ghanaian-German Centre for Development Studies remains a factor in my life because not only I received my PhD there, but also because the institute is in walking distance from where I currently work. I get to go there often and talk to the new students, visit defenses and attend interesting lectures. Dr. Wolfram Laube, senior researcher at ZEF and project leader at GGCDS, has been a great facilitator up until today.

The Interview was conducted by Haik Gregorian (ZEF)

Background information:

The Ghanaian-German Centre for Development Studies is financed by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and jointly coordinated by ZEF and the Institute for Social and Statistical Research at the University of Ghana (ISSER) look at the <link https: www.zef.de external-link-new-window internal link in current>Website here.