John Victor Mensah is a Professor of Development Economics at the University of Cape Coast (UCC), where he has conducted research and taught courses in Development Economics, Development Planning and Management, and Environmental Economics since 1993. He has 30 years of experience in research, teaching and outreach as a Senior Member at UCC. He has successfully supervised many graduate theses as Principal Supervisor or Co-supervisor for more than 40 PhD theses, dozens of MPhil theses and scores of MA dissertations.
Prof. Mensah started working with UCC as Assistant Research Fellow in 1993 and confirmed as Research Fellow in 1995. He was promoted to Senior Research Fellow in 2003, Associate Professor in 2007 and Professor in 2012. After completing his first degree and diploma at the University of Cape Coast, he worked as Assistant Operations Officer at the Central Regional Development Corporation (CEREDEC), Cape Coast from 1988 to 1990. He served as a part-time lecturer at the University of Bradford (UK) from 1998 to 2000 and Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre, Accra from 2012 to 2015. He spent his sabbatical leave as Professor at the Department of Planning, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi from 2014 to 2016.
He was the Director of Directorate of Academic Planning and Quality Assurance (DAPQA) of the University of Cape Coast (2017-2019). He served as the Director of the Institute for Development Studies (2008-2014), the Vice Dean of Faculty of Social Sciences (2010- 2014) and Head of Department of African and General Studies (2001-2003). He has served and continues to serve on several boards and committees of UCC.
He obtained Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree and Post-Graduate Diploma in Research from the University of Bradford in the United Kingdom in 2000 and 1998 respectively. He was awarded a Master of Science (MSc.) degree in Development Planning and Management from KNUST in Ghana in 1992 and Post-Graduate Diploma in Development Planning and Management from the University of Dortmund, Germany in 1991. He obtained Bachelor of Arts (Honours) degree in Economics and Diploma in Education from the University of Cape Coast in 1988.
Prof. Mensah has more than 100 publications and more than 20 research reports to his credits. He has also rendered outreach services in terms of commissioned research and consultancies to several intergovernmental organisations, government organisations, non-governmental organisations and private organisations. These organisations include German Agency for Technical Co-operation (GIZ), United Nation's Children Fund (UNICEF), Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre, Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, Local Government Service, Center for Indigenous Knowledge and Organization Development (CIKOD), Chirano Gold Mines Ltd (Ghana), Central African Goldmine Ltd (Bibiani), Central Region Development Commission, and ActionAid – Ghana.
Ghanaian organisations that provided the platform for Prof. Mensah to gain local, national and international recognition include IDS (UCC), Nkum Associates, Ghartey Associates, CIKOD, IBIS, ActionAid – Ghana, KAIPTC and CEDECOM. Since 2004, he has served as a regular resource person for training traditional leaders, especially Queen mothers in several regions in Ghana by CIKOD. His research works and outreach services have taken him to almost all districts in Ghana. He has been a member of National Development Planning Commission since 2021.
Prof. Mensah has been an external examiner for Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi (2011-2014 and 2016 to date), University for Development Studies, Tamale (since 2014), University of Ghana, Legon (2018), University of Nairobi, Kenya (2014-2016) and Open University Malaysia (2018). He has reviewed many papers for international and local journals including Elsevier’s Cities, Singapore Journal of Tropical Geography, GEOFORUM (UK), Journal of Family Studies (UK), Journal of Science and Technology (KNUST), Oguaa Journal of Social Sciences (UCC), Journal of Business and Enterprise Development (UCC) and Journal of Arts and Social Sciences (UCC).