Background
I come from an education and public administration background and have had the opportunity to work as program and research assistant with international and national organizations on several research projects in the areas of enhancing climate action at the local level through a collaborative engagement as the co-lead of the Environment and Climate Action Group of the All-Africa Students Union, Mining Districts Development Scorecard led by CDD-Ghana to enhance environmental justice in mining communities, reduce corruption, ensure transparency, accountability, and track the transfer and utilization of mining receipts. I also worked as a research assistant on a government of Ghana project targeted at enhancing the cashew value chain and feeding into the operations of the Tree Crop Development Authority, Ghana Cocoa Board, UNESCO, and Commonwealth Youth Council, amongst others before my starting as a PhD student in Fall 2023. I also conducted a st targeted at assessing the activities of waste pickers in Ghana.
For my Master’s education, my research focused on the effect of political interference on the fight against corruption using Ghana’s Office of the Prosecutor as a case study. I have also worked on and submitted for publication a paper on Interventions to mitigate household air pollution in Ghana; a cost-benefit analysis and a policy assessment.
I use social science methods to explore the socio-economic implications of socio-ecological and socio-technical systems associated with Energy transition in BIPOC and low-income communities in the United States of America and Sub-Saharan Africa. I am particularly interested in Energy and Climate Policy, Community Engagement, and Energy and Environmental Justice. I am also interested in international environmental governance and the role of political settlements in driving climate action and building climate resilience. Having worked in both the public and private sectors and with diverse teams in various capacities as Programs and Research Assistant and other supervisory roles in the areas of sustainability, social empowerment, equity, and environmental justice, I am well-versed in stakeholder and community engagement, policy brief writing, data analysis, policy analysis, research, project management and coordination, and excellent communication amongst others.
Current Projects
- C-CHARM
- Preparation for my candidacy exam and proposal defense
- Working on personal research papers
Achievements/Contributions:
(limited to my time at MTU)
- Conduct a literature review and an assessment of how InVEST and other economic impact analysis tools can be utilized on the C-CHARM project.
- Work with Prof. Schelly on CCPT engagement materials.
- Organized and moderated a panel discussion on Experiential Climate Education: The role of young people and student-led organizations at COP 28
- Guest lectured on the impact of climate change on the cocoa industry in Ghana.
- Guest lectured on Climate Change as an international commons-pool governance issue.
- Won the Smithsonian grant to attend the Pre-COP 28 training where my team did a presentation on green space planning for climate adaptation.
- Selected and won a travel grant for the American Geophysical Union Geosciences Congressional Visits Day (Geo-CVD) event.
- Founder of the African Climate Leaders Fellowship targeted at building the capacity of young Africans (18 and 35 years ) for action in building sustainable and inclusive communities.
Publications
- Asamani, R.M. (2024). Clean Cooking Interventions to Mitigate Household Air Pollution: A Cost Benefit Analysis and Policy Assessment.
- Asamani, R.M. (2023). An Assessment of the Activities of Plastic Waste Pickers in Ghana.
- Asamani, R.M. (2022). Effects of Political Interference on the Fight Against Corruption: A Case Study of the Office of the Special Prosecutor in Ghana.
Future Goals
My dissertation (still in the early stages and yet to finish my coursework) is most likely to assess climate impacts on energy infrastructure, justice considerations, policy assessment, and socio-economic impact.
I hope to work as a Sustainability Manager in a community-centered organization preferably a government organization or CSO/NGO to drive sustainability initiatives. Away from this, I hope to run my own consulting company that focuses on addressing issues of social justice in energy transition systems and climate change mitigation and adaptation. I would also like to work part-time in academia as a tutor and a researcher.