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MIASA Annual Report 2022

Time and space for research and academic exchange

The Merian Institute for Advanced Studies in Africa (MIASA) offers time and space for research and academic exchange.It is based on a collaboration between the University of Ghana and four German partners, i.e. the University of Freiburg, the Goethe University Frankfurt, the German Institute for Global and Area Studies (GIGA) and the German Historical Institute Paris. The institute is sponsored by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research in Germany and co-funded by the University of Ghana.

MIASA CC-BY-4.0: From left to right: Dr. Susann Baller (MIASA Director ‘Germany’), Prof. Samuel Ntewusu (IAS, UG, MIASA EC member), Dr. Grace Diabah (MIASA Director ‘Ghana’ since Aug. 2022), Prof. Charlotte Wrigley-Asante (MIASA Director ‘Ghana’ til Jul. 2022)

MIASA has two Directors, one from the University of Ghana and one representing the institute’s German partners. In July 2022, MIASA Director ‘Ghana’ Prof. Charlotte Wrigley-Asante was appointed Head of Department at the Department of Geography and Resource Development at the University of Ghana and ended her term at MIASA after one year. She was followed by Dr. Grace Diabah, who joined MIASA as Director ‘Ghana’ in August 2022. Dr. Susann Baller, who had joined the team in January 2021, continued her term as MIASA Director ‘Germany’ in 2022.

Both Directors are responsible for shaping MIASA’s academic programme. In 2022, MIASA welcomed 29 fellows from 10 countries and 13 disciplines, including Interdisciplinary Fellow Groups (IFG), tandem and individual fellows. They contributed to 14 public lectures, 2 roundtables, 17 research seminars and 2 IFG conferences. In addition, MIASA organised 3 further thematic conferences, an annual lecture, and 2 early-career events. Besides, the MIASA team, fellows and alumni participated in external events, such as the German African Studies Association (VAD) conference, which was hosted by MIASA’s leading partner in Germany, the University of Freiburg, in June 2022.

Most MIASA events were organised at the University of Ghana on Legon campus, many of them in collaboration with other institutes and departments, such as the Institute of African Studies (IAS), the Institute of Statistical Social and Economic Research (ISSER), the Centre for Gender Studies and Advocacy (CEGENSA), the Department of Political Science, the Department of Archaeology and Heritage Studies and the Department of Geography. In addition, MIASA organised a major event at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, for the first time in 2022 as well as a conference in a lusophone country, in collaboration with the Eduardo Mondlane University in Maputo, Mozambique.

Through MIASA’s fellowship and event programmes the institute was able to increase its visibility and to strengthen its research profile. Three thematic fields of MIASA were examined by the IFGs – land governance, African cities and migration. Moreover, MIASA continued its research on restitution of cultural materials. MIASA’s main thematic corridors – peace and conflict, democracy as well as sustainability transformation – were equally considered by individual and tandem fellows as well as addressed by MIASA events. Though the covid-19 pandemic still had some impact on MIASA’s programme, the institute was able to organise all events onsite, while offering the possibility to join online.

The annual report 2022 can be accessed via UGSpace: MIASA Annual Report 2022 or as a light version.

See also: MIASA Publications

This annual report was edited and authored by Dr. Susann Baller (MIASA Director ‘Germany’).


OpenEdition suggests that you cite this post as follows:
teammiasa (August 13, 2023). MIASA Annual Report 2022. Merian Institute for Advanced Studies in Africa - Blog. Retrieved March 26, 2025 from https://miasa.hypotheses.org/3084


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