PROFESSOR DENIS WORLANYO AHETO
BSc. (Cape Coast), Dip. (Ed), MSc. (Bremen), PhD (Bremen)
Denis Worlanyo Aheto is a Professor of Coastal Ecology and Interdisciplinary Oceans Studies and the Director of the Centre for Coastal Management, the Africa Centre of Excellence in Coastal Resilience (ACECoR) at the University of Cape Coast in Ghana. He is an astute academic, distinguished lecturer and administrator, an outstanding team player, resourceful leader, and results-oriented researcher with a strong passion for grants success and resources mobilization with an interest developing strong scientific and academic partnerships in his area of professional work.
Denis Aheto is a visiting Professor at the Faculty of Oceans and Fisheries at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada under the 7-year Food, Climate and Biodiversity (FCB) project grant award from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRCC). He is a technical advisor to West Africa Coastal Areas Management Program (WACA) of the World Bank and involved in the evolution of the Blue Economy for Resilient Africa Program (BE4RAP) through a visiting fellowship program of the World Bank Africa Centres of Excellence (ACE) Program.
Education
Denis Aheto completed his O’ level in 1990 at the St. Martins’ Secondary School, Nsawam and A’ Level in 1992 at the Pope Johns’ Secondar School, Koforidua. He then obtained his BSc. (Hons) Degree in Biological Sciences and a Diploma in Education in 1998 at the University of Cape Coast. He subsequently obtained an MSc. Degree in Rural Development Studies at the Swedish Agricultural University (SLU) in Uppsala in 2002, and an MSc. Degree in International Studies in Tropical Aquatic Ecology (ISATEC) at the Centre for Tropical Marine Ecology (ZMT) in 2004, and a PhD Degree in Environmental Science in 2008 at the Center for Environment and Technology (UFT) both at the University of Bremen, Germany.
He has engaged in several professional development training courses, i.e. Project Management Professional (PMP) at Center of Excellence, British Council, Accra in 2019; Principle-centered leadership using tools and methods created by Stephen Covey: “The 7 habits of highly effective people” by USAID in Accra in 2018; Holistic Foundations for Assessment and Regulation of Genetically Modified Organisms, University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania in 2012; Coastal Adaptation to Climate Change, Coastal Resources Center (CRC) University of Rhode Island, USA in 2010; and Law of the Sea and Maritime Regulation and Enforcement at the Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources and Security (ANCORS), University of Wollongong, Australia in 2017.
Career
Following his first Degree, Denis Aheto worked as a Teaching Assistant at the then Department of Botany at the University of Cape Coast from 1998-1999, after which he was employed by the Ghana Education Service and appointed to St. Augustines’ College in Cape Coast as a Biology and Integrated Science teacher. Following the completion of his master’s degree in 2004, he was employed as a Research Scientist in the EU funded project SIGMEA – Sustainable Introduction of Genetically Modified Organisms in European Agriculture, a programme involving over 40 European Universities.
While studying for his PhD Degree in 2017, Denis Aheto worked as an Intern in the Associated Program on Flood Management (APFM) at the United Nations in the Hydrology and Water Resources Department of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) in Geneva, Switzerland. He returned to the University of Cape Coast in 2019, where he took up an appointment as a lecturer at the Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences. He was appointed the Seminar Coordinator and Examinations Officer for the Department in 2010 and 2011 respectively. He was promoted to Senior Lecturer in 2012 and appointed as Head of Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences (DFAS) in the same year where he served for two terms until 2016. During his term of office as Head of DFAS, he led the formal establishment of the Centre for Coastal Management in 2013 and was appointed its first Director in 2016. By dint of hard work, commitment to duty and tenacity for excellence, he was promoted to Associate Professor in 2017 and Professor in 2020.
As Director of the Centre, Denis Aheto strengthened the staffing, internal administrative and financial procedures, increased funding and grantsmanship, raised the international profile and upscaled the research and scientific output of the Centre to elevate it to attain the status of an Africa Center of Excellence (ACE) for Development Impact in Coastal Resilience at the University of Cape Coast, competitively awarded by the World Bank in 2019, endorsed by the Association of African Universities (AAU) and the Government of Ghana through the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC).
This feat enabled the Centre to acquire a multipurpose research building infrastructure, improved laboratories, provided research grants to train 30 PhDs, 90 masters and over 250 professionals in oceans-related studies and enabled the University to attain several institutional level impact milestones among other accomplishments.
Leadership and membership of Boards and Committees
Since 2009, Denis Aheto has provided dedicated service to his alma mater – University of Cape Coast, contributing to the work of the university in several capacities. He served as Chairman of UCC’s Library Board for two terms (2010-2015), Hall Tutor Casely-Hayford Hall (2010-2014); In 2015/2016 he was appointed a member of the Search Committee for the appointment of a Vice-Chancellor for the University of Cape Coast; Member, Local Implementation Committee, Anomabo Fisheries College (2010-2012); Member, Ad-hoc Committee to Develop Research Agenda for UCC (2012-2013); Member, Income Generation Committee of University of Cape Coast (2012 – 2013), Member, Academic Board of the University of Cape Coast (2012-Date); Appointments and Promotions of School of Biological Sciences (2012-Date); Member, Science Technology & Mathematics Education Committee (2011-2012); Member, Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Board (2010-2012).
At the national level, he is a member of the UNESCO Man and Biosphere (MAB) National Committee under the auspices of the Environmental Protection Agency of Ghana since 2014, where he also chaired the funding sub-committee since. He served as a member of the National Board for Professional and Technical Examinations (NABPTEX) for the Technical Universities from 2016-2018; under the defunct National Council for Tertiary Education (NCTE) now Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC). Since 2016, he has served as a member of the Member of the National Implementation Committee of Anomabo Fisheries College under auspices of the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development (MOFAD).
Denis Aheto contributes to the work of a number regional and global initiatives. He is a member of the United Nations Pool of Experts for Global Assessments on the state of the marine environment; and was a member of the World Bank interim Technical Advisory Committee (iTAC) of the West Africa Coastal Area (WACA) Program and was a member of the Advisory Board for the US Government’s Feed the Future program of USAID from 2015-2020.
Tecahing, Research and Mentorship
Denis Aheto teaches several courses at the University of Cape Coast with the changing academic semesters. Undergraduate level courses include Integrated Coastal Zone Management and wetlands. Postgraduate courses he’s responsible for cover Marine Protected Areas, Projects Appraisal, Coastal Resource Management, Contemporary Global Ocean and Coastal Policy among others. Denis Aheto’s research interests are in the fields of integrated coastal zone management, maritime conflicts, fisheries governance, climate change adaptation/mitigation, fisheries and aquaculture socioeconomics, ecology and management of coastal water bodies (estuaries and lagoons) and mangrove wetlands and topics related to marine biodiversity, marine pollution management, anthropogenic impacts on the hydrology, coastal urban planning, maritime regulation/policy and enforcement, blue economy, social and ecological resilience of marine environment, marine spatial planning and marine protected areas.
His research experience is epitomized in the over 50 peer reviewed academic papers published in reputable journals over a period of 14 years – an average of three (3) papers per year in addition to over 50 referenced conference proceedings, abstracts, posters and commissioned technical reports for Development and private sector agencies to his credit. His standing as an accomplished academic is further demonstrated in the number of organizations interested in funding his research and these include World Bank, among others.
As a Mentor, he has successfully supervised and currently supervising over 40 graduate students (Masters & PhDs) and over 20 undergraduate students. Denis Aheto serves as an external examiner to other Universities in Ghana, i.e. Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, University of Ghana, University for Development Studies and Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, and has undertaken same in universities abroad, such as University of Adelaide, New Zealand. He has tutored a number of institutions on grantsmanship at the Departmental, faculty or University level. Aside UCC, other notable institutions include University of Ghana, University for Development Studies, Bolgatanga Technical University and Takoradi Technical University. He also mentors several Research Fellows at the Centre for Coastal Management.
Community Service and Outreach
As part of his community service and outreach, Denis Aheto has acted as a Subject Matter Specialist and Consultant to many international and local organisations including the World Bank, United States Agency for International Development (USAID), US State Department, Norwegian Embassy, SNV Netherlands Development Organisation – Ghana, Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development, Ministry of Environment Science and Technology (MESTI), among a host of others is worth noting. Denis Aheto played a role as either a Team Leader or a Team Member in the implementation of most of these assignments, writing technical reports and providing guidance and support to these organizations. He attended and participated in over 60 conferences and workshops in over 50 countries globally as Keynote/Panel speaker or presenter, including the Oceans Conference in Panama, February 2023; Bootcamp on moving fisheries from Vulnerability to Viability in Delhi, India in 2023; African Union (AU IBAR) Seychelles (date), Dar es Salaam, Abuja and Nairobi amongst others.
In October 2023, Prof. Aheto was an invited Panelist under the auspices of the Ministry of Maritime Affairs of Portugal to the 2nd Sustainable Blue Economy Investment Forum in Lisbon, where he spoke on Oceans and Blue Communities (Ocean, coastal areas, and ecosystems: financing sustainable blue economy as a boost to local development.
Others included a workshop at Institut National Polytechnique- Houphouet-Boigny (INP-HB) Yamoussoukro, Cote d’Ivoire on Marine Litter by Marine Litter Network (MALNET) funded by the Association of African Universities in June, 2023; 12th Africa Higher Education Centres of Excellence (ACE) I and 2nd ACE Impact Workshops, held in Morocco, May, 2023; AU-IBAR Meeting of the revised Governance Working Group of the African Fisheries Reform Mechanism (AFRM) held in Cairo, Egypt in 2023; AU IBAR Biennial Forum for Regular Consultations on Monitoring Compliance on Domestication of Global and Continental Instruments within the Framework of African Fisheries Reform Mechanism, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania; AU IBAR 3rd Project Technical Coordination Committee meeting on the Fisheries Governance 2 Project (FISHGOV-2) in Nairobi, Kenya in 2022 ; 2nd Dialogue with Regional Economic Communities (RECS) Implementation of Fisheries Governance Project Phase 2 (FISHGOV-2) held in Abuja 2022; 7th ACE Impact Regional Workshop of the World Bank and the Association of African Universities held in Cotonou, Benin; 6th ACE Impact Regional Workshop of the World Bank and the Association of African Universities in 2021 (Online); 5th ACE Impact Regional Workshop of the World Bank and the Association of African Universities. Abuja, Nigeria. Africa Higher Education Centres of Excellence (ACE) I and 2nd ACE Impact Workshops, held in Abuja, 11th Africa Higher Education Centres of Excellence (ACE) I and 2nd ACE Impact Workshops, held in Dakar, Senegal in September, 2019; Invited guest speaker to the University of Makerere in Uganda on the topic “West African Fisheries Resources and Management” in 2016; Conference on Fisheries and Coastal Environment, University of Cape Coast and University of Rhode Island held in 2019 held in Accra; 31ST Biennial Conference of the Ghana Science Association on the theme GSA@60: Promoting Science, Technology and Innovation for sustainable Development, in Cape Coast; Conference on Fisheries and Coastal Environment, University of Cape Coast and University of Rhode Island held in 2017 in Accra; National Stakeholder Consultative Forum: Towards Sustainable Infrastructural Development in Higher Education Institutions in Ghana, in Kumasi; RUFORUM 5th Biennial Conference on Higher Education in Africa, Cape Town, South Africa in 2016; Conference on Sustainable Development, UNILORIN, in 2010, Nigeria; Conference on Advancing the Understanding of Biosafety with the Context of the Convention on Biological Diversity held in Nagoya, Japan. Denis Aheto is a reviewer of many academic journals and conference proceedings and belongs to some professional associations including International Association for Impact Assessment. He has assessed promotions for academic senior members in sister Universities at the University of Ghana, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technnology, University of Energy & Natural Resources, University for Development Studies, University of Education, Winneba and the CSIR College of Science & Technology, Ghana.
He is the lead technical expert on Three AU-IBAR Project Assignments. First supporting AU to develop mechanisms to encourage and facilitate the domestication of global instruments and initiatives at continental, regional and national levels in the fisheries and aquaculture sector in Africa within the framework of enhancing sustainable fisheries management and aquaculture development in Africa: a programme for accelerated reform of the sector. Second, he has supported the identification of specific issues relevant to Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and develop draft strategic positions and make specific recommendations for the establishment/strengthening a platform of SIDs. Finally, helping the AU Review and Align National Fisheries and Aquaculture Polices and Laws with the PFRS, Regional Instruments and Global Best Practices for 15 AU Member States.
Grants, Capacity Building and Academic Programme Development
Denis Aheto has an outstanding record of winning grants and promoting strong academic partnerships in his field of specialization across the world. He has successfully managed large multi-year, multi-million-dollar training and research budgets from several international development agencies, involving many high level national and international academics and civil society organizations. These grants include World Bank, USAID, etc. These grants have collectively stimulated research and have so far resulted in over 100 scientific research publications in peer-reviewed reputable international journals since 2019 involving research fellows, lecturers, and students. The grants cumulatively amount to about US$ 25 million since 2010 have been used to improve teaching and learning environment and refurbished laboratories for the training of more than 400 young scholars and professionals from across 15 African nations involving Masters, PhD and Short courses trainings at the University of Cape Coast.
He the authorized representative for several institutional grants from the World Bank, USAID,
DANIDA among others at the University of Cape Coast.
The grants have also provided for the construction of a new five-floor multi-purpose research an offices infrastructure, scientific equipment, computer hardware and software, vehicles, post-doctoral fellowships, establishment of scientific database (FishCoM Ghana) and a regional journnal (JFCoM). The grants have also supported the development of new academic programmes such as Blue Economy, Governance and Social Resilience at the School of Applied Economics; Coastal Engineering at the Department of Water and Sanitation; among others and the development of modular courses for master and PhD programmes at the Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences involving the Integrated Coastal Zone Management, Fisheries Science, Oceanography and Limnology programmes. These improvements have led to the receipt of international accreditation from the Agency for Academic Assurance (AQAS e.V.), Germany for a cluster of four postgraduate academic programmes at DFAS.
Individual Awards and Honors
Denis Aheto is a recipient of several individual awards including the DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service, Bonn) Scholarship for postgraduate MSc studies at the University of Bremen in 2004. He is also a recipient of DAAD Student Prize in 2007 for outstanding academic merits at the University of Bremen. In 2015, he was awarded the University of Cape Coast’s Award of Honor as Distinguished Lecturer for dexterity and outstanding contributions to the University. In 2010, he won 4 travel grants in support of biosafety research in Africa (Zambia, Tanzania South Africa) funded by GenØk- Centre for Biosafety, Norway; Travel grant from the European Network of Scientists for Social and Environmental Responsibility (ESSER) for CBD (Conference on Biological Diversity) in Nagoya, Japan on the theme: Advancing the understanding of Biosafety- Latest scientific findings, policy responses and public participation in 2010. He also received USAID Fellowship for training on Coastal Adaptation to Climate Change at the University of Rhodes Island, USA in 2010. Grant funded by the Center for International Migration and Development (CIM) on behalf of the German Government Ministry of Development through the World University Service (WUS) Deutsches Komitee e.V. for Workplace Equipment, Germany (2010 April).
In August 2023, he received the Prestigious Award of Excellence from the School of Earth and Mineral Sciences, Federal University of Akure, Nigeria at its 10th Annual lecture on Blue Economy.
Family
Denis Aheto hails from Adutor in the Volta Region of Ghana. He was born on 1st April 1972 at Nsawam in the Estern Region to Mr. Joseph Aheto and Mrs. Fidelia Aheto. He’s the first of four children of his parents, and his siblings are Mrs. Elizabeth Worla Hlovor, Mrs. Bertha Eyra Adigler and Dr. Simon-Peter Kafui Aheto. Denis is Married to Mrs. Cynthia Aheto, and they are blessed with a son, Arnold Sefa Aheto. Denis has a large extended family of many aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews. Denis loves music, travelling and family leisure time.
The Ocean is a key driver for attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially in line with SDG 14 (Life Below Water) of the UN Agenda 2030, to conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas, and marine resources for sustainable development. Everyone without exception is called to be an active agent towards this goal. I have spent the greater part of my professional life, as a personal contribution to applied research, capacity building and training in higher education on coastal and marine ecology topics and within the spheres of multidisciplinary ocean studies and related policy and coastal community development issues in Africa. The formal creation of the Centre for Coastal Management at the University of Cape Coast in 2013, and its subsequent elevation in 2018 by the World Bank, endorsed by the Association of African Universities (AAU) and the Ghana Government as the Africa Centre of Excellence in Coastal Resilience (ACECoR) for Development Impact, with its special focus to address issues of marine and coastal degradation is a significant cornerstone of my personal contributions to our collective transformative efforts in pushing the frontiers of science, policy and administration, and indicative of leadership commitment to establishing long-term institutional anchor within the domain of coastal and marine studies at the University of Cape Coast for Africa.
An Africa research and capacity development platform for oceans studies is crucially needed. This is because even though the African Ocean or Blue Economy is very dependent on healthy marine and coastal resources, and therefore critical for the socioeconomic development of the continent, it is the subject of ongoing severe environmental degradation mainly from pollution, erosion, and flooding resulting from anthropogenic and climate stressors with consequential impacts on marine biodiversity and livelihoods. Blue economy envisions the sustainable use of ocean resources and maritime activities, offering potential for economic development, while addressing socioeconomic and environmental issues. The African Ocean territories possess significant potential for the development of its Blue Economy, yet this remains unexplored and underutilized. Other challenges relate to institutional weaknesses, policy fragmentation, and justice concerns in ocean sectors and coastal communities. There are also issues of scientific, administrative, and professional capacity deficits on the continent to address the challenges. Actionable research involving key stakeholders is crucial for transformation changes needed to ensure sustainable conservation of the oceans.
Against this background, and with the support of my agile and dynamic team at the Centre for Coastal Management/ACECoR at the University of Cape Coast, we have championed and contributed to a transformation research agenda that integrates science, policy, practitioners, and end-users into coastal and marine resources conservation. Effectively, over the last ten years, the efforts have turned out to be laborious and costly. To advance the front, meant more informed knowledge and strategic partnerships needed to be sought to drive the transformative research focus to enhance efficiency, which under present circumstances is largely not practiced on the continent. In this context, securing our common future means achieving sustainable development goals of the African Blue Economy informed by research, and where all key stakeholders have a role to play. More guidance grounded on actual project experiences and program management is needed on the continent. This means that, knowledge-based institutions such as universities could pioneer scientific research in multidisciplinary oceans studies, promote technology and innovation with appropriate financing and institutional governance systems to support and develop capacity especially its youthful workforce.
Using a framework of thematic research clusters and basing on the opportunities and challenges the ocean economy presents, this inaugural lecture makes a compelling case for supporting transformative research for the development of the ocean economy for sustainable economic growth, promote social inclusion, and conservation of the marine environment. It provides insights to how stakeholders have acted in concert to amplify development impacts, providing insights as to how academic institutions could stimulate critical research and training services to inform sustainable actions for the development of the African Blue Economy. In this light, collaborative processes involved in transformative research covering aspects of its development, implementation, including execution of partnerships with development agencies, government and civil society organizations are highlighted. Elements of capacity building, and training, monitoring and evaluation, data management, information technology and aspects on financing will be discussed. Reflections and lessons learned from firtsthand project experiences within the marine/coastal research context in a traditional university environment will feature prominently, supported with examples, connected to relevant scholarly literature.
Key words: Ocean health, ocean equity, maritime security, blue finance, ocean wealth, Africa Centre of Excellence in Coastal Resilience (ACECoR).