Since August 2019, Frederick Ato Armah has been a Professor of Environmental and Sustainability Science at the University of Cape Coast (UCC). He was the Director of the Directorate of Research Innovation and Consultancy (DRIC), UCC from April 2019 to July 2022. Prof Armah is an interdisciplinary scientist with deep interest in the natural and human dimensions of environment and health. His professional expertise include multivariate environmental statistics; global environmental change mitigation and adaptation; environmental and natural resource management, remediation and policy; human health risk assessment; climate change-human health nexus; pollution of environmental media and biota; and socio-ecological systems. He has extensive experience in teaching, research and collaboration with partners in both developed (Canada, Sweden, Netherlands, USA) and developing countries (Ethiopia, Cameroon, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Cambodia, Tanzania). He has served as consultant to several organisations and government agencies both local and international. He holds a BSc (Hons) Degree in Chemistry from the University of Cape Coast in Ghana and MSc Degree in Environmental Studies and Sustainability Science from Lund University in Sweden. Prof Armah has a PhD in Geography (Environment and Human Health) from the University of Western Ontario in Canada. In addition, he holds a Certificate in Building African Entrepreneurship Universities in the Context of Responsible Innovations and Sustainable Development (AFRIDEP/UNECA); Certificate in Transforming Leadership and Governance (ILF); Certificate in Project Planning and Proposal Development (AAU); Certificate in University Leadership and Management Development (AAU), Certificate in Preliminary Assessment & Site Inspection of Surface water, Groundwater, Air & Soil (USEPA); and Certificate in Facilitating Multi-stakeholder Process and Social Learning: Advanced Course in the Use of Participatory Approaches for Institutional Change (WUR). Prof Armah has held several prestigious scholarships including the Swedish Institute Scholarship (2006-2008), Netherlands Fellowship (2009) and the Ontario Trillium Scholarship (2011-2015). He is the first individual from sub-Saharan Africa to win the prestigious Ontario Trillium Scholarship. He was awarded as an Outstanding Researcher at the University of Cape Coast for hard work, dexterity, and great dedication to research during the 2015/2016 academic year. Prof Armah has worked at all levels of the educational ladder (basic, secondary, tertiary) in Ghana starting from 1995. Cumulatively, he has garnered over 20 years of teaching and research experience more than half of which is at the tertiary level. In 2009, he received the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) Science, Innovation and Technology joint award for the best innovative scientist in developing a technique for the removal of fluoride ions in Bongo using local available materials. This award was established to mark the Golden Jubilee of the CSIR. Following this award, he was briefly part of a team of scientists that developed technologies to produce safe drinking water using laterite, a soil-type, rich in iron and aluminium, as a sorbent and ultra-filtration for physical disinfection. This initiative was part of collaboration between researchers at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology in Ghana, and the University of Edinburgh, UK titled, "Safe Drinking Water using Appropriate Technologies for Ghana (SADWAT-GHANA). Under the aegis of SADWAT-GHANA, Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences and Tanzania Academy of Sciences, Prof Armah was invited by the UK Royal Society to attend the first Leverhulme—Royal Society Africa Award Holder Meeting in Dar es Salaam on 5-6 December 2010. As the Head of the Department of Environmental Science (August 2016 - July 2018), Prof Armah established collaboration with the Centers for Natural Resources and Development (CNRD) at the University of Applied Sciences, Cologne, Germany. CNRD is a consortium of about 20 higher education institutions that connects universities worldwide by promoting academic exchange and cooperation in the field of natural resource management, particularly with regards to water, land, ecosystems and renewable energy. Prof. Frederick Ato Armah also established the Margaret Wulesie Award of Excellence in Environmental Science, in honour and memory of his late mother, Margaret Wulesie. The award which is worth 1000 Ghana Cedis is given to an Environmental Science graduand who obtains a cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of 3.8 or better. Prof Armah vigorously pursued an agenda of equipping the Environmental Science and allied laboratories in the School of Biological Sciences during his tenure as head of department. He was instrumental in the donation of equipment and accessories worth over 150,000 Ghana Cedis to the department by the Copenhagen Business Academy (CPH), Denmark (see pages 8-10 of UCC Bulletin Volume 54 Issue 1, September 2018). From August 2016 - July 2019, he was an Associate Professor in the Department of Environmental Science at UCC. As Deputy Director of DRIC from August 2016 to April 2019, Prof Armah led the development of the first UCC Intellectual Property Policy (IPP) and co-chaired the committee that crafted the first ever UCC Research Report, which has since received extensive critical acclaim. He also chaired the committee that developed the 2018-2022 UCC Research Agenda, which gives expression to the research tenets and trajectory of UCC as set out in the 2018-2022 Corporate Strategic Plan. As Deputy Director of DRIC, Prof Armah also successfully led UCC to apply for the Queen Elizabeth II (QES II) Advanced-Scholars program, which seeks to establish research capacity and leadership qualities in young African and Canadian scholars in order to enable them to competently address global challenges pertaining to Environment, Food and Health. Through this initiative, the University of Cape Coast sent one QES II Scholar to Western University, Canada in 2018 to undertake research under the supervision and mentorship of a very experienced team of faculty members, for a minimum period of 90 days. Prof. Armah was also actively involved in the successful application for and implementation of the African Trans-Regional Cooperation through Academic Mobility (ACADEMY) Project. This is a 1.4 million dollar EU-Intra Africa Mobility Grant, which seeks to foster mobility of staff and students among partners in the consortium (UCC, Ghana, Tlemcen University, Algeria, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, University of Ibadan, Nigeria, and Kenyatta University, Kenya) to deepen cross-cultural learning and enhance regional capacity building in higher education. Prof Armah is the UCC team lead on the 2.5 million dollar partnership grant titled Appraising Risk, Past and Present: Interrogating Historical Data to Enhance Understanding of Environmental Crises in the Indian Ocean World. This 7-year initiative seeks to enhance historical understanding of the factors at work in past environmental crises, and thereby significantly improve currently employed environmental risk perception and governance (ERPG) tools. The team consists of 8 Co-Applicants, 17 Partner Institutions, and 23 additional Collaborators (including UCC) spread across 17 countries in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, and North America. He is also co-applicant and the team lead for Ghana on the 2.5 million dollar Vulnerability to Viability (V2V): Global Partnership for Building Strong Small-Scale Fisheries Communities research grant. Prof. Armah is the country lead for the 2-million-dollar project-Farmer Organization, Mobilization and Political Opportunities (‘FOMPO’), which is sponsored by the Swedish Research Council (FORMAS) and Lund University, Sweden (2020-2024). Prof Armah is currently a member of the National Technical Committee on Environmental Quality Standards in Ghana. In March 2019, he was appointed as a member of the France-Ghana Nkabom Scientific Committee that reviews joint proposals submitted by academics in both countries on energy and renewable energy, environment and climate change, engineering sciences; biology and biotechnology. In 2015, he was appointed by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to serve on its Global Panel of Experts on the Environment. At the time, he was the only scientist from Ghana among the team of experts drawn from over 110 countries by the UNEP Chief Scientist to develop the regional assessment reports that served as precursor to the 6th Global Environment Outlook. In 2017, based on his meritorious contribution to the Africa regional assessment, the UN Chief Scientist subsequently nominated him to be a lead author of the Air Policy Effectiveness chapter of the Global Environment Outlook 6 (GEO-6) Report, which was launched by the UN Environment Assembly in March 2019. This report is now published by the Cambridge University Press. Prof Armah was an Associate Editor of the African Geographical Review (Taylor and Francis) from 2013-2016. He is currently an Associate Editor of Frontiers in Environmental Science Journal in Switzerland. He also serves as an External Examiner for the Master of Science programme in Environmental Science at Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa. He has reviewed for over 60 international journals. He also served as External Reviewer for the Human and Institutional Capacity Development Directorate of the National Research Foundation (NRF) of the South Africa Thuthuka Programme. He was External Reviewer for the International Council for Science (ICSU) and the Network of African Science Academies (NASAC) Africa LIRA 2030 proposals on understanding the Energy-Health-Natural Disasters nexus in urban contexts in Africa. He has reviewed for the National Research Foundation of South Africa, and also the Netherlands Research Council. In February 2020, Prof Armah was nominated to serve as a nexus assessment scoping expert on the Intergovernmental Science Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). He has published more than 150 peer-reviewed scientific articles in reputable international journals, 20 technical reports, 2 book chapters and 2 encyclopaedia entries. Some of his scholarly research works have appeared in high impact factor journals such as Scientific Reports (Nature), PLOS one, Environmental Health Perspectives, Social Science and Medicine, Frontiers in Environmental Science, EcoHealth, Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, Population and Environment, Water MDPI, International Journal of Human and Ecological Risk Assessment, Exposure and Health, Environmental Toxicology and Pharmacology, Journal of Environmental Science & Health Part A, Toxicological and Environmental Chemistry, Environmental Science and Pollution Research, Wetlands Ecology and Management, Ocean and Coastal Management, and Geojournal. He is also member of several professional organisations including the International Association of Hydrological Sciences, International Society for Environmental Information Sciences, Earth Systems Governance, and the Institute for Research on Environment and Sustainability. He is member of various communities of practice including the Climate Change and Forestry Adaptation Communities of Practice: Ontario Centre for Climate Impacts and Adaptation Resources (OCCIAR), Canada and Too Big to Ignore (TBTI): Global Response Cluster of the Integrated Marine Biogeochemistry and Ecosystem Research (IMBER). He has attended over 90 seminars/workshops/conferences/webinars organised in eleven countries across the globe. Prof Armah has given numerous guest lectures at high ranking universities across the globe including the University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania; University of Toledo, Ohio, USA and Pennsylvania State University, USA. Prof Armah has been championing the visibility agenda of UCC aimed at highlighting the University’s research and teaching output through dissemination in recognized channels. In this regard, he has been very instrumental in facilitating series of workshops and sensitization programs on scientometric indicators and webometrics ranking and its relationship to quality education and research. For instance, he coordinated the first Elsevier workshop regarding academic writing and global visibility on UCC campus. He has successfully overseen two rounds of the UCC Research Support Grants (RSGs) and Research Awards, during his tenure as Deputy Director of DRIC. Many of the RSGs he coordinated have culminated in the publication of very good papers in high impact ISI or Science Citation Index (SCI) journals. At DRIC, Prof Armah led the Vice-Chancellor’s agenda of increasing the number of faculty members on Google Scholar. Through his instrumentality and concerted efforts with key stakeholders, the number of UCC faculty members on Google Scholar more than quadrupled between 2016 and 2018. Several establishments that track scholarly achievement consistently rank Prof Frederick Ato Armah among the most visible, topmost scientists in Ghana and beyond. These include Google Scholar, Web of Science ResearcherID and ORCID, Scopus, ResearchGate and Publons . In 2017, Publons ranked him as one of the top one percent of reviewers in multidisciplinary academic fields. In 2018 and 2019, Publons ranked him again as one of the top one percent of global reviewers in the field of Environment/Ecology. In 2020, Prof. Armah won the Association of American Publishers Awards for Professional and Scholarly Excellence (PROSE) in Environmental Sciences, together with co-authors on the Sixth Edition of the UN Global Environment Outlook Report. This award recognises the very best in professional and scholarly publishing by celebrating the authors, editors, and publishers whose landmark works have made significant advancements in their respective fields of study each year. Through his instrumentality and concerted efforts with university management and allied stakeholders, UCC is ranked as the best university in Ghana and West Africa in the 2022 Times Higher Education World University Rankings.
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Award for Professional and Scholarly Excellence (PROSE) in Environmental Sciences
Association of American Publishers
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Distinguished Reviewer Award (Top 1% Globally in the Category of Ecology/Environment)
Publons
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Distinguished Reviewer Award (Top 1% Globally in the Category of Ecology/Environment)
Publons
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Distinguished Reviewer Award (Top 1% Globally in the Category of Multidisciplinary Sciences)
Publons
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Outstanding Researcher
University of Cape Coast, Ghana
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Best Innovative Scientist Joint Award
Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Ghana
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Research Fellow
New (INTI) International University, Malaysia
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Earth Systems Governance Senior Research Fellow
International Human Dimensions Programme (IHDP), International Science Council
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Ontario Trillium Scholarship
Ontario Trillium Foundation Canada
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Earth Systems Governance Research Fellow
International Human Dimensions Programme (IHDP), International Science Council
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Netherlands Fellowship Programme
NUFFIC
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Master of Key Personnel in Developing Countries
Swedish Institute
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Member, International Committee of Expert Reviewers—Preparing Outstanding Social Sciences Investigators to Benefit Lives and Environments in Africa Programme (POSSIBLE-Africa)
Science for Africa Foundation
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Member, International Panel of Nominators—Blue Planet Prize (Global Award for Distinguished Research on the Environment)
Asahi Glass Foundation, Japan
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Country Expert and Ghana Representative
Africa Forum for Research and Innovation (FARI), Artificial Intelligence Issues and Challenges for West Africa, ECOWAS Commission, Abuja, Nigeria
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Director
Directorate of Research Innovation and Consultancy, UCC, Ghana
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Ag Director
Directorate of Research Innovation and Consultancy, UCC, Ghana
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Active Member
Ghana-France Nkabom Scientific Committee
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Member
National Technical Committee on Environmental Quality Standards, Ghana
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Chairman
UTAG National Research and Innovation Fair Committee
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Deputy Director
Directorate of Research Innovation and Consultancy, UCC, Ghana
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Head
Department of Environmental Science, UCC, Ghana
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Member
Water Supply Network (RWSN), Switzerland—Groundwater Management Group
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Member
International Association of Hydrological Sciences
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Member
International Society for Environmental Information Sciences
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Member
EIS-AFRICA
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Member
Institute for Research on Environment and Sustainability
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Member
Ghana Science Association
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Member
Foundation for Sustainable Development, The Netherlands
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Member
FORUM- Science and Innovation for Sustainable Development; USA
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Member
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)-FORUM
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Team Lead
Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) of the Korle Lagoon Nature-Based Solutions and Physical Works, the World Bank and the Ministry of Finance of Ghana
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Team Lead
Environmental Assessment (Environmental and Social Management Framework) of the West African Coastal Areas Resilience Investment Project (WACA RESIP II), the World Bank and the Ministry of Environment, Science Technology and Innovation (MESTI)
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Team Lead
Environmental and Social Systems Assessment (ESSA) of the Ghana Energy Sector Recovery Program (ESRP), the World Bank and KfW Bank, Germany
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Ghana Team Lead
Farmer Organization, Mobilization and Political Opportunities (‘FOMPO’), Swedish Research Council (FORMAS) /Lund University , Sweden
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Team member and Co-PI
Vulnerability to Viability (V2V): Global Partnership for Building Strong Small-Scale Fisheries Communities, Social Science and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), Canada
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Team Lead
Stakeholder Engagement Plan (SEP) of the Ghana Development Finance Project (GDFP). Monitoring Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Plan and Environmental and Social Management Plan (ESMP). The World Bank and the Ministry of Finance of Ghana
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Team Member
Evaluation of the West Africa Biodiversity and Climate Change (WA-BiCC) Program in Sierra Leone. USAID, West Africa
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Team Member
Agriculture for Food Security (AgriFoSe 2030). Multi-functional Land Use in Urban Landscapes
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Team Member
Appraising Risk, Past and Present: Interrogating Historical Data to Enhance Understanding of Environmental Crises in the Indian Ocean World
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Team Leader
Systems for Health Environmental Monitoring of Health Facility Construction in Ghana
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Team Leader
UNDP/DRIC-UCC Disaster Risk Reduction Training Programme— Development of Training Manual for disaster management stakeholders in Ghana
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Team Member
USAID/Ghana Feed the Future Agricultural Policy Support Project (APSP)— Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of food security interventions in Northern Ghana
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Team Member
African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF), the African Union’s Specialized Agency for Capacity Development. Food Security Assessment in Africa— Review of Regionalism Food Security and Economic Development in Africa
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Team Member
Mine-wide Pre-Akoben environmental audit of Anglogold Ashanti Iduapriem Ltd— Anglogold Ashanti and African Environmental Research Consultancy (AERC), Ghana
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Team Member
Pit water profiling and quality assessment of the Block 8 Pit of Anglogold Ashanti Iduapriem Ltd— Anglogold Ashanti and African Environmental Research Consultancy (AERC), Ghana
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Team Member
Identification of the Sources/Causes of Elevated Levels of Contaminants within the Operational Areas of Anglogold Ashanti Iduapriem Ltd— Anglogold Ashanti and African Environmental Research Consultancy (AERC), Ghana
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Team Member
Sediment and Water Quality Assessment Of Streams within the catchment of Persus Edikan Gold Mine, Ayanfuri. Persus Gold West Africa and African Environmental Research Consultancy (AERC), Ghana
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Team Member
Preliminary Environment Assessment (PEA) of quarry operations within an area designated for tailings storage facility at Newmont Goldfields Ltd, New Abirem— Newmont Goldfields, Ghana and African Environmental Research Consultancy (AERC), Ghana
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Team Member
Environmental and Social Impact Assessment of Huni Waste Dump Project, Goldfields Ghana Ltd., Damang Mine—Goldfields Ghana Ltd and African Environmental Research Consultancy (AERC), Ghana
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Team Member
Sediment and Water Quality Assessment of Streams within the catchment of the CAG mine—Central Ashanti Gold (CAG) Limited, Ghana
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Team Member
Floral and faunal survey within the catchment of the NGBL mine— Noble Gold Ghana Ltd, Bibiani and African Environmental Research Consultancy (AERC), Ghana
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Team Member
Assessment of quality of fish and metal pollution index at the NGBL mine – Noble Gold Ghana Ltd, Bibiani and African Environmental Research Consultancy (AERC), Ghana
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Team Member
Assessment of water quality within the catchment of the NGBL mine—Noble Gold Ghana Ltd, Bibiani and African Environmental Research Consultancy (AERC), Ghana
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Team Member
Climate Change Vulnerability and Adaptation Assessment in Ghana— USAID, Ghana; US Forest Service, US Department of Agriculture
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Team Member
Environment Threats and Opportunities Assessment in Ghana—— Review of Environmentally Sensitive Ecosystems and Policy Options in Ghana. USAID, Ghana; US Forest Service, US Department of Agriculture
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Team Member
Environmental Scoping Report of the Esaase Gold Project Keegan Resources Ghana Ltd— Keegan Resources, Australia
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Team Member
Water quality monitoring and socio-economic assessment of mine catchment—Anglogold Ashanti and African Environmental Research Consultancy (AERC), Ghana
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Team Member
Monthly water quality monitoring of mine catchment—Anglogold Ashanti and African Environmental Research Consultancy (AERC), Ghana
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Team Member
Environmental Impact Assessment Update of the Prestea South Project (PSP)—Golden Star Resources Ltd., Ghana
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Team Member
Characterisation and Quantification of municipal solid waste along the coastline of Shama—Alliance Francaise /French Embassy, Ghana