Joyce De-Graft Acquah holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Work and Sociology, a Master of Arts in Development Studies, both from the University of Ghana, and a Master of Philosophy in Peace and Conflict Transformation from the University of Tromso, Norway. She earned her PhD in International Conflict Management from Kennesaw State University, USA. She is a Research Fellow at the Department of Peace Studies, University of Cape Coast, Ghana. Further, Dr. Acquah is an eminent member of the Central Regional Peace Council.
Prior to joining the University of Cape Coast, Joyce worked for two years as a District Facilitator with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)-funded Community School Alliances Project, where she mobilized community support through various community mobilization tools like participatory learning and action, community drama, workshops, and public forums to support good governance and improve enrolment in primary education. In 2003, she was selected to undertake research with a team of seven fresh graduates in the context of an interdisciplinary project funded by Tropenbos International (TBI) and supervised by lecturers of the Institute of Natural Resources and TBI staff. Topic: The Potential and Constraints of Agro-forestry in the Forest Fringe Communities of the Asunafo District, Ghana.
Dr. Acquah was the National Evaluation Consultant for a UNIDO/UNHCR/FAO project titled "Assistance to refugees of the UNHCR settlement in Buduburam and Krisan for their repatriation, local integration, and resettlement through micro- and small-scale enterprise development in Ghana."
Dr. Acquah has won a number of meritorious leadership awards, scholarships, and research grants. She is a member of the Golden Key International Honor Society and a member of the prestigious Alpha Beta Kappa Honor Society, USA. In 2004, she was one of the twelve Ghanaian youth selected to represent Ghana under the British Council Interaction Leadership program. She won a two-year scholarship from the Norwegian Government under the Quota Scholarship Program. She has also won awards like a thesis grant from the Centre for Environment and Development, University of Tromso, Norway, and a grant from the Canadian Bureau for International Education under the CIDA Youth Education Awards—Africa. Additionally, she has been a resident Study Grant Holder at the Nordic Africa Institute, Sweden.
She is a member of the Ghana Association of Social Workers and was a member of the national executive from 2004 to 2006. She is also a fellow of the British Council Interaction Leadership Group and a member of the Gender Violence Survival Support Network, Ghana.
Her research interests are in:
1. Qualitative and quantitative conflict analysis
2. Refugees and sustainable repatriation
3. Conflict resolution, peace building, and gender-responsive peace building
4. Post-conflict reconstruction with emphasis on livelihoods
She also teaches on the Master’s program in Peace and Development Studies.