Community
A majority of our field research takes place in the rural farming community of Kumawu in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. Our research center is located here and houses our team of local Ghanaian research assistants, developers, and staff who carry out our field work in the country. As part of our social responsibility to the community, we have spearheaded the following programs with the Kumawuman Paramount Chief, Queen Mother, and Traditional Council:
Kumawuman Customary Lands Secretariat (KCLS) was created to assist land reforms, settle disputes, and document property rights in a digital database.
Kumawuman Development Investment Trust (KDIT) was created to develop investment opportunities for community projects.
Kumawuman Palace Museum was established to document and preserve cultural heritage and artifacts.
Kumawuman Educational Fund (KEF) was created to provide scholarships to SHS and University students in the region.
With our research center based on the campus of the Tweneboa Kodua Senior High School (TKSHS), we have created several programs with the school headmaster and administration to support learning and education at the community-level. With funding from external donors, we are providing annual TKSHS tuition scholarships (2014-present), supporting infrastructure projects at the school, donating computer equipment to the ICT Department, and supporting programs in the arts. Under the theme “A Biography of a People,” the arts programs include supporting a TKSHS art competition to encourage young artists to document local culture through painting. In 2017, we supported the organization of a play entitled “The Legend of Dwenti” documenting local folklore.
Policy
Informed by our research with local communities, we strive to share these findings with policymakers from the highest levels of government to international organizations. In the past, Yaw Nyarko has hosted programs for heads of state from Ghana, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, and Uganda, as well as government officials from across Africa, Asia, and the Gulf.
Current migration research is conducted in collaboration with the UAE Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratization (MOHRE), the Government of Ghana through the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA), the Ghana Commodities Exchange (GCX), and previously with the Ethiopian Commodities Exchange (ECX).
Over the years, Yaw Nyarko has hosted several policy shaping international organizations such as the African Development Bank Group (AfDB), the African Export-Import Bank (AFREXIMBANK), and the UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA).