Background

Ms. Afishata Mohammed Abujaja is a Senior Lecturer and a Head of Department for Agricultural and Consumer Sciences Education at the University for Development Studies. Ms. Abujaja is engaged in Gender, Agribusiness and extension related research in and outside the university, working with local, international and non-governmental organizations interested in Gender, Rural Development, Agribusiness and Extension related issues in especially rural communities in northern Ghana. She is highly self-driven lecturer with over 30 years’ experience in teaching all levels of the Ghanaian educational ladder (i.e., Basic, Secondary and Tertiary). She is also a highly driven research-oriented person both in nature and attitude and currently has more than 14 research publications to her credit and the main author of a book. She served on different boards of University for Development Studies as a member to Academic Board, Executive Committee, Budget Committee, Finance Committee, and Academic Planning Committee. She also served on some boards in Damongo Diocese, including Member and Secretary to Diocesan Education and Gender Committee. Representative of the Damongo Diocese on the Tamale Ecclesiastical Province Pastoral Conference (TEPPCON) education Commission. She has contributed to the development of new programmes in the University for Development Studies, mainly in the development of Diploma/Bachelor/MED/MPhil programmes in Agricultural Science Education. Ms. Abujaja is currently a collaborator and the gender expert to Feed the Future Innovation Laboratory for Peanut Ghana Project. She was once also the gender specialist on USAID Feed the Future project on Innovation Laboratory on Small Scale Irrigation in Ethiopia, Tanzania and Ghana. She was once also involved in WLE-CIAT/UDS/IUCN/ACDEP research project which was targeted at improving livelihoods in the Volta basin landscape through strengthening of farmer led approached to ecosystem-based management. She also became the Gender Consultant for the end of project evaluation of programme results and Participatory Outcome Assessment (POA) and Project Compilation Report (PCR) for Northern Rural Growth Project (NRGP) in 2016. She has held various positions at the Damongo Diocesan Office. She was the Gender and Education Coordinator at Damongo Diocese and later became the Ag. desk officer for Women in Peace Building (WIP) for Center for Conflict Transformation and Peace Studies (2002-2011). She was subsequently involved in projects sponsored by Kindernmissionswerk die Stersinger, Aachen, Germany and CORDAID. She further coordinated and facilitated the establishment St. Annes’ Girls Senior High School in Damongo, St. Cyprian Minor Seminary/Senior High School in Sawla, St. Padua Business/Vocational School in Bamboi, and Martyrs of Uganda Vocational/Technical School in Bole. Ms. Abujaja an empathic communicator and she is able to see things from other people’s point of view hence able to get on well with others as a good team player. She has the ability to coordinate, facilitate and promote research activities and believe in academic freedom, creativity and innovation.

Research Gate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Afishata-Abujaja