Prof Nana Akua Anyidoho is a social development researcher studying how young people and women navigate pathways to better lives through higher education, employment, and other means, despite often challenging policy environments. Her work focuses on women’s informal employment, youth employment, graduate employability, and the school-to-work transition, with key themes including agency, participation, and empowerment.
And, apart from her research, she is an advocate for academic freedom and equitable access to research funding, particularly in the Global South. She has raised concerns about increasing restrictions on research funding and potential interference with academic content, both in Africa and globally.
She is a global thought leader in social policy research and a sought-after keynote speaker on topics related to youth, gender, and work. She has contributed to critical discussions on education and employment at international conferences and policy forums, shaping debates on youth agency and economic participation.
Anyidoho is an Associate Professor at the Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research and Director of the Centre for Social Policy Studies at the University of Ghana. She continues to use her platforms to advocate for evidence-based policymaking and academic freedom, ensuring that future generations of scholars and practitioners can work in environments that foster critical thought and meaningful research.
Education: Anyidoho holds a PhD in Human Development and Social Policy from Northwestern University.
Anyidoho’s quote on what academic freedom and research funding means to her during Trump’s administration:
“I am concerned about the restriction of funding for research and other projects. And, for my colleagues in the US, I anticipate more interference with academic freedom in terms of the content of teaching and research. We are seeing this now, especially in Republican-controlled states in the US, but I fear that the federal government may embolden these states and might even enact similar policies at the federal level. This concern is mainly one that I have as a matter of solidarity with fellow academics in the US, but we cannot discount the possibility that some African governments might learn the worst lessons from this and decide to enact their own policies to (further) restrict academic freedom.”
