Dr. Emmanuel Ekow Asmah is an Associate Professor of Economics and the Head of the Department of Data Science and Economic Policy at the University of Cape Coast (UCC). With over 25 years of academic, research, and consulting experience, he brings strong expertise in public finance, development economics, applied policy analysis and quantitative research methods. He has served in several senior leadership roles at UCC, including Dean of the School of Economics, and has worked with key national institutions such as the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC), Ghana Statistical Service, and the Economic Management Team at the Office of the Vice President.
Dr. Asmah has an extensive track record of managing and delivering complex, multi-stakeholder research and policy assignments for international organisations, including UNICEF, UNFPA, ILO, the Copenhagen Consensus Centre, the African Economic Research Consortium (AERC), the World Bank, and Solidaridad West Africa. His experience covers programme and results-based budgeting, macroeconomic modelling, public sector expenditure reviews, gender-responsive analysis, and socio-economic diagnostics. He has also contributed to national policy tools such as the Ghana Macroeconomic Model (GMM), developed with NDPC and Oxford University.
A highly published economist with over 40 peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters, and policy papers, Dr. Asmah combines rigorous quantitative analysis - including econometrics, CGE modelling and survey analytics - with strong qualitative and stakeholder engagement skills. He has led and supervised numerous doctoral and master’s research projects, mentored early-career economists, and provided technical support to various government ministries and development partners.
Dr. Asmah holds a PhD in Economics from the University of Dar es Salaam, an MPhil in Economics from the University of Cape Coast, and a BA in Economics with Statistics from the University of Ghana. His long-standing engagement in national economic policy processes, coupled with proven leadership in multidisciplinary research teams, positions him strongly to lead the Programme-Based Budgeting (PBB) review assignment and ensure high-quality, actionable deliverables aligned with UNICEF’s Public Finance for Children agenda. Dr. Asmah's career demonstrates a unique convergence of high-level policy advice, academic rigor in public finance and development, and institutional management, making him exceptionally qualified to lead the PBB initiative for UNICEF.
