Prf Albert Akyeampong

Professional biography

Kwame Akyeampong is Professor of International Education and Development at the Open University, UK. Kwame began his academic career in Ghana at the University of Cape Coast in 1989 and served as the Director of the Institute of Education from 2002-2004.  He has particular interest in the political economy of education systems in low-income countries. His research has aimed to offer alternative viewpoints on educational policy and practice based on critical perspectives and experiences of policy makers, school leaders, teachers and students in African education environments. He has over 25 years’ experience in Education Programme Evaluation, Teacher Education Policy, Education Access and Equity with a focus on disadvantaged and marginalised groups in sub-Saharan Africa.  He has produced education review and evaluation reports for various Ministries of Education in Africa.  He served as a visiting Professor at the Centre for International Cooperation in Education (CICE) in Hiroshima University in 2002, and a Senior Fulbright Scholar at Georgia State University (GSU) in the USA in 2001. Over his career he has consulted for UNESCO, FCDO, Belgian Development Organisation (VVOB) and the World Bank. Kwame served for two years(2011 to 2013) as a Senior Policy Analyst with UNESCO’s Global Monitoring Education Report in Paris. He is an Honorary Professor of International Education and Development at the University of Sussex, and co-chairs the World Bank and the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) Global Education Evidence Advisory Panel (GEEAP), and serves on the Advisory Board of the Yidan Prize. He is a Fellow of the Robert Bosch Academy in Berlin, Germany.

Research interests

Educational Change and Policy Analysis in Low Income Countries

External collaborations

Major Research Projects and Consultancy:

Senior Policy Analyst - UNESCO Global Monitoring Report Team - Paris (2012-2013)

Principal Investigator - Speed Schools Project in Ethiopia - Funder: Geneva Global Inc. USA (2011-2017)

Principal Investigator - Teacher Preparation in Africa (TPA) Research Project - Funded by Flora & Hewlett Foundation, USA

Consultant for Rwandan Ministry of Education, Science, Technology and Scientific Research(MINEDUC). This one-year consultancy service (Feb 2004 - Feb 2005) was in support of the Government of Rwanda's plans to move from 6 to 9 year Basic Education system.

Co-researcher/consultant - DFID funded research project April 2004- October 2005 "Teacher Motivation and Incentive in Developing Countries - Study of 12 countries in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa.

Consultant for World Bank study on Financing Secondary Education in Africa - Produced report on the cost and financing of secondary education in Ghana (www.worldbank.org/afr/seia) (March 2003 - September 2003) Consultant for World Bank Commissioned study on "Learning to Teach in the Knowledge Society" - A Case Study of Ghana: September 2003 - May 2004. T

Consultant for International Development Center of Japan (IDCJ) for "A study of the Characteristics and Effectiveness of Japanese Technical Cooperation in Ghana" May - August 2002. This consultancy involved evaluating the impact of two Japanese technical assistance programmes in Ghana: (a) the Science, Technology and Mathematics (STM) teacher education programme, and (b) an Agriculture Irrigation programme in the Ministry of Agriculture.

World Bank Project on Vocationalisation of Secondary Education in Ghana. Part of a three case study report of TVET in sub-Saharan Africa.

Multi-site Teacher Education Research Project "MUSTER" on Primary Teacher Education in Ghana (1998-2001) - British DFID project; Lead Researcher for Ghana. MUSTER involved four other countries, Trinidad & Tobago, Malawi, Lesotho and South Africa. Principal Researcher for JICA Baseline study of Science, Mathematics and Technology (STM) project in Ghana; Completed in 2000. Sub-Consultant for World Bank funded Final Evaluation of Ghana Primary School Development Project (GPSDP) Ghana Ministry of Education (January - March 1999).