Clara Araba Mills is a Lecturer in Educational Planning and Curriculum Design at the Institute for Educational Planning and Administration (IEPA), a Category II Centre of Excellence under the Auspices of UNESCO at the University of Cape Coast (UCC), Ghana. With a robust background in educational planning and curriculum development, Clara plays a pivotal role in lecturing, designing academic programmes, conducting research, and supervising postgraduate theses both within and beyond UCC. Her contributions extend to the Office of Programmes and Professional Development, as well as the Office of Grants and Consultancy at IEPA.
Clara's academic credentials are impressive. She holds a PhD in Qualitative Research in Education with a specialization in Curriculum Design, an MPhil in Educational Planning, and a bachelor’s degree in arts education, all from the University of Cape Coast. Additionally, she has earned an International Certificate of Advanced Studies in Education Sector Planning from IIEP-UNESCO.
Before her joining IEPA, Clara dedicated thirteen years to lecturing at Takoradi Technical University. During this period, she advanced her academic qualifications by completing two additional postgraduate programmes and contributed to IEPA’s research collaboration with the University of Bristol on the EdQual Project as a Research Assistant.
Since joining IEPA, Clara has honed practical skills in communication, research, creative writing, grants and consultancy portfolio development and management, and leadership. These competencies are crucial for IEPA's operations as a UNESCO Category II institute and have empowered Clara to significantly contribute to realizing the vision and mission of the institute. Clara's extensive background and expertise are instrumental in driving IEPA’s agenda forward, and she is committed to fostering the institution’s continued growth and success.
Dr. Clara Araba Mills
Lecturer - ( Senior Member ) Institute for Educational Planning and AdministrationMy teaching philosophy is rooted in social-constructivism, aiming to achieve quality and relevance in students' learning. Contemporary education underscores the importance of bridging the gap between knowledge and societal needs, making it essential to support students in constructing knowledge through interactions with their peers and environment. I employ a questioning approach to help students learn through inquiry methods, develop problem-identification skills, and navigate the process from conceptualizing issues to selecting the most appropriate solutions or interventions.
I believe that knowledge is not something that can be simply taught, but rather discovered. Therefore, I see my role as a facilitator who guides students in uncovering the knowledge they already possess. Engaging students interactively and witnessing their growth and discoveries throughout the course is immensely rewarding.
Fundamental to these outcomes are the new skills and knowledge students acquire, and their ability to apply these in various challenging academic and real-life situations. For instance, in the academic realm, postgraduate students often focus on thesis work, providing opportunities to write, conceptualize, and apply their learning within the research space
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Participant
Melinda Gates Foundation/ESSA/REAL/inasp Grant Proposal Writing Workshop for Africa-Based Foundational Learning Researchers Ange Hill Hotel, Accra.
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Participant
Directorate of Research, Innovation and Consultancy (DRIC) Workshop on Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Sam Jonah Library.
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Co-Presenter
9th Association of West African Universities (AWAU) Conference, 2024 and 11th Annual General Meeting. School of Graduate Studies Auditorium, UCC, Cape Coast.
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Moderator
National Education Week (NEW), Labadi Beach Hotel, Accra .
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Presenter
International Conference on Educational Research for Development in Africa (ICERDA). School of Graduate Studies Auditorium, UCC, Cape Coast.
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Co-Presenter
67th Annual Comparative and International Education Conference (CIES) Hyatt Regency Hotel, Washington, DC, USA.
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Presenter
National Education Week (NEW). Accra International Conference Center, Accra.
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Co-Presenter
66th Annual Comparative and International Education Conference (CIES) Hyatt Regency Hotel, Minneapolis, USA.
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Co-Presenter
National Education Week (NEW), Labadi Beach Hotel, Accra.
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Participant
Luminos Fund Webinar Webinar.
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Facilitator
Contemporary Issues in Fisheries Management. Fisheries Leadership Short course for Practitioners funded by USAID/Fisheries Recovery Activity Ghana.
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Presenter
International and Regional Fisheries Institutional Frameworks and Bodies. Workshop on Destabilising Impacts of Distant Water Fishing Vessels (DWFV) in the Gulf of Guinea Yaounde, Cameroon.
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Guest Speaker
“Promoting Research Excellence for Impact on Marine Conservation in Africa”, Institute for Oceans and Fisheries Online Seminar Series University of British Columbia, Canada.
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Co-Facilitator
“Grants Proposal Writing Workshop” University for Development Studies.
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Presenter
“Performance of the Africa Centre of Excellence in Coastal Resilience”, Country Round Table Workshop Association of African Universities (AAU), Online.
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Facilitator
“Regional Political Parties Dialogue on Fisheries: Protecting Our Fish, Securing Our Future, Live Engagement on JoyNews TV Centre for National Culture, Cape Coast.
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Presenter
Professorial Inaugural Lecture on the topic “Our Oceans: Securing Our Common Future through Transformative Research” Medical School Auditorium, University of Cape Coast.
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Presenter
Africa’s Plastic Revolution: Advancing Global Solutions for Healthy Oceans, T.D. Walter Bean Professorship Public Lecture University of Waterloo, Canada.
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Presenter
Expanding the Impact of Research on Africa’s Blue Economy. National Consultative Workshop for the Formulation of a National Blue Economy Strategy for Angola Luanda, Angola.
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Panelist
Regional Steering Committee Workshop for the World Bank West African Coastal Resilience Investment Projects (WACA ReSiP and ReiP2) Banjul, Gambia.
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Facilitator
Coastal Adaptation to Climate Change. Short-term Training Course funded by USAID Ghana.
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Co-Discussant
“Expanding the Impact of Blue Economy in Africa” (with Professor Rashid Sumaila) World Bank Headquarters, Washington.
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Facilitator
Workshop on “Winning Research and Development Grants in a Competitive World” Bolgatanga Technical University, Ghana.
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Facilitator
Workshop on “Proposal and Grants writing” University of Ghana, Ghana.
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Speaker
Study Tour on Sustainable Fisheries Management & Leadership University of Rhode Island, United States.
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Presenter
Vulnerability to Viability (V2V) Ghana Case Study. Bootcamp on moving fisheries from Vulnerability to Viability Puri, Delhi, India.
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Guest Speaker
Workshop Presentation on “Expanding the Impact of Research on Africa’s Blue Economy in Africa Hohai University, China.
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Participant
6th ACE Impact Regional Workshop of the World Bank and the Association of African Universities Accra (Online).
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Panelist
Seaweed (Sargassum) Invasion on the Ghanaian Coasts, Implications for the National Economy and Management Live TV Broadcast, GTV.
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Guest Speaker
“West African Fisheries”, Workshop by the Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM) University of Makerere, Kampala, Uganda.
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Towards Building Resilience in the Ghana School Feeding Programme
Foreign Commonwealth Development Office, London, UK/Centre for Global Development, London, UK
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Survey of Research and Development Culture of Public Universities in West Africa Data Collection Assignment
IDRC sub-contracted by ESSA
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Back to School Research Related to Post-COVID-19 School Closures
Centre for Global Development.
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Split-site Ph.D. Scholar
Commonwealth Scholarship Commission
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Team member, Contract for services to deliver a short course on Marine Litter under the OCPP
Cefas/UKAID
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Panel Chair, Reviewed Environmental Impact Statement of PECAN Energies for Offshore Exploration of Oil & Gas
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of Ghana, Secondi/Takoradi
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Team member, Contract for development of a short course on Marine Litter for the West Africa Region
Ocean Country Partnership Program (OCPP) funded by Cefas/UKAID
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Team member, Contract services to conduct data collection surveys on abandoned lost or otherwise discarded fishing gear (ALDFG) in Ghana
Ocean Country Partnership Program (OCPP) funded by Cefas/UKAID
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Lead Consultant, Contract for the Development of Fishery Courses Syllabi for Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture Sciences (DoFAS), University of Liberia
IDA-V3100
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Panel Chair, Evaluation of Applications for recruitment of Environmental, Social Safeguards Officers for Ghana’s Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI)
World Bank funded West Africa Coastal Areas Management Programme
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Lead Consultant, Consultancy to review and align national fisheries and aquaculture polices and laws with the PFRS, regional instruments and global best practices for 15 AU Member States
African Union – InterAfrican Bureau of Animal Resources (AU-IBAR)
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Lead Consultant, Mechanisms to Facilitate the Domestication of Global Instruments and Initiatives (2022)
African Union – InterAfrican Bureau of Animal Resources (AU-IBAR)
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Lead Consultant, Identification of Issues for SIDS, Development of Draft Strategic Positions for SIDS
African Union – InterAfrican Bureau of Animal Resources (AU-IBAR)
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Team member, Environmental Systems Analysis of the Avu Lagoon Protected area
Calgary Zoo Foundation
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Trainer, Conduct Marine Spatial Planning Workshop in Ghana
University of Liverpool
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Team member, Pre-feasibility study for nature-based intervention for Anlo Beach community in Ghana
Valued at US$32,365.00
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Team member, Marine Plastic Pollution Study in Liberia
Conservation International
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Team member, Vulnerability, Adaptation and Resilience in a Changing Climate - WACA -VAR Workshop
World Bank
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Consultant, Support Development of Multi-sector Resilience Investment Programme for the West Africa Coastal Area Management Program
World Bank
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Consultant, Issues and Opportunities in the Ghanaian Fishery Sector: Addressing the context, prospects and challenges
Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), United Kingdom
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Consultant, Estimations on renewable energy investments in Ghana
Highland Star Group (HSG) of Companies, Geneva, Switzerland
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Team Member, Regional Mapping of Experts and Institutions in Coastal management
World Bank
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Lead Consultant, Review of the Fisheries Act 2002 (act 625) and the Development of Draft Regulations for the conduct of Fisheries Impact Assessments
Ghana Industrial Trawlers Association (GITA) and GOGIG funded by DFID/UK
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Team member, Environmental baseline survey of water bodies in the Great Consolidated Diamond Ghana Limited (GCDGL) mining concession
AERC Ltd.
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Team member, Scoping Study on the Dredging of the Whin Estuary in the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis
UCC Consultancy Unit/Consolidated Energy Ltd.
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Team member, Social Ecology of Anlo Beach Wetland of Ghana
Friends of the Nation/IUCN/French Global Environment Facility (GEF)
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Principal Investigator, Biodiversity Assessment of Urban Wetlands in the Western Region, Ghana with focus on Essei and Butuah Lagoons and the Whin River Estuary
USAID through Friends of the Nation