Adelina Maria Mensah (PhD)


An IESS Faculty Member

Senior Research Fellow 

Adelina Mensah (PhD) is a Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for Environment and Sanitation Studies (IESS), University of Ghana. She holds a PhD in Natural Sciences from the University of Bonn, Germany, where she was also a Resident Scholar at the United Nations University – Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS). She earned an MPhil in Marine Sciences and Coastal Management and an MSc in Tropical Coastal Zone Management from the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK, and a BSc in Zoology and Botany from the University of Ghana. Dr. Mensah has a multidisciplinary foundation in environmental sciences, and her academic work lies at the intersection of climate change, ecosystems and human wellbeing. Her research examines how climate variability, environmental degradation, and institutional dynamics shape community vulnerability, adaptation pathways, and long-term sustainability outcomes. In recent years, she has expanded her work into climate-health linkages, collaborating with the health sector and other partners to understand how climate and environmental stressors influence disease risks, community practices, and resilience in vulnerable populations. She has over 15 years of teaching and research experience and served as Graduate Students Coordinator from 2019 to 2024, mentoring and supervising undergraduate and graduate students. Beyond academia, she engages widely with government agencies, communities and sectoral partners, applying transdisciplinary methods to understand environmental change and community resilience. She has led and contributed to several multicountry, donor-funded projects and works closely with national institutions to support national environmental policy development, including contributions to the National Climate Change Policy and its Implementation Plan, the National Biodiversity Policy and its Implementation Plan, and the Policy for One Health in Ghana.

Research Areas 

  • Climate Change, Vulnerability, and Adaptation Understanding how climate variability and environmental stressors shape community vulnerability, adaptation decisions, and resilience across diverse settings.
  • Climate–Health Interactions and WASH Behaviour Examining how environmental change influences disease risks, diarrhoeal dynamics, health behaviours, and public health preparedness in vulnerable populations.
  • Ecosystems, Biodiversity, and Socio-Ecological Systems Investigating ecosystem change, biodiversity loss, and human–environment interactions, and their impacts on livelihoods and sustainability.
  • Environmental Governance and Policy Processes Exploring how institutions, governance systems, and policy frameworks shape environmental management, climate action, and evidence-based decision-making.
  • Water Resources, Pollution, and Coastal/Freshwater Sustainability Investigating water quality, pollution risks, and the links between ecological change and human wellbeing.

Recent Publications

  1. Mensah, A. M., Karanja, F. N., Tagoe, C. A., Bobie, A. O., Wrigley-Asante, C., Boateng, R., ... & Mugo, B. M. (2026). Advancing Women in STEM Leadership: Policy Analysis with Insights from Water-related Sectors in Ghana and Kenya. In H. Whitehead & M. Dipieri (Eds.), Dismantling Gender Barriers in STEM (pp 165 – 186). African Books Collective.
  2. Lawson, E. T., Asabil, B., Salifu, A. Z., Alare, R. S., Ayivor, J. S., & Mensah, A. (2025). Climate-related information sources and the adaptation decisions of women crop farmers in the Guinea Savannah Zone of Ghana. African Geographical Review, 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1080/19376812.2025.2574343
  3. Bezerra, J.C. et al. (2025). Addressing Food Insecurity Through Community Kitchens During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Case Study from the Eastern Cape, South Africa. Urban Science 9(2), https://doi.org/10.3390/urbansci9020037
  4. Arko, T., Mensah, A.M., Obani, P., Adomako, J., & Denton, F., & (2024). The charcoal footprint of greater Accra on the Afram Plains: Urban energy consumption and forest degradation in Ghana, Trees, Forests and People,18, 100678, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tfp.2024.100678
  5. Mattah, M.M., Mattah, P. A., Mensah, A., Babannawo, D., Brempong, E., Mensah, J., Appeaning Addo, K. (2023). Assessment of social factors that promote the vulnerability of communities to coastal hazards in the Volta estuary in Ghana. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 95, 103896, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2023.103896
  6. Arko, T., Mensah, A.M., Adomako, J., Denton, F., & Obani, P. (2024). The Multifaceted Socio-ecological Impacts of Charcoal Production on the Afram Plains, Ghana. Trees, Forests and People, 100586, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tfp.2024.100586.
  7. Chicmana-Zapata, V., et al. (2024). Justice implications of health and food security policies for Indigenous peoples facing COVID-19: a qualitative study and policy analysis in Peru. Health Policy and Planning, 39 (4), 445 – 445.
  8. Agyeman Boafo, Y., Ohemeng, F.N.A., Ayivor, J., Ayitiah, J.A., Yirenya-Tawiah, D., Mensah, A., Datsa, C., Annang, T., & Adom, L. (2024). Unraveling diarrheal disease knowledge, understanding, and management practices among climate change vulnerable coastal communities in Ghana. Frontiers in Public Health, 12, 1352275, https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2024.1352275
  9. Zavaleta-Cortijo, C., Ford, J.D., et al. (2023). Indigenous knowledge, community resilience, and health emergency preparedness, The Lancet Planetary Health, 7 (8), E641-E643.
  10. Galappaththi, E. K., et al. (2023). Policy responses to COVID-19 in Sri Lanka and the consideration of Indigenous peoples. Environmental Science & Policy 144, 110 – 123. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2023.03.008.

Teaching Programmes

  • Sustainability: Principles and Practice
  • Climate Change Vulnerability, Impact, and Adaptation
  • Emerging Environmental Issues
  • Water Resources Management

Student Supervision

PhDs 

Rafiyatu Abubakari (PhD, 2020/2021) – ‘Climate Change and Health: Impact on Households Equity and Nutrition in the Volta and Upper East Regions, Ghana.’ (Cosupervisor) 

Angsongna B. Claudius (PhD, 2020/2021) – ‘The Impact of Climate Change and Adaptation Measures on Livestock Production in the Upper West Region.’ (Co-supervisor) 

Frederick Apwah (PhD, 2020/2021) – ‘Effects of Climate Variability and Change on Health and Wellbeing in Semi-Arid Ghana: A Multi-Perspective Approach.’ (Co-supervisor) 

Meinster Kodjo Eduafo (PhD, 2020/2021) – ‘Microplastics and Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFASs) Contamination in Surface and Drinking Water: An Emerging Threat to Life in Ghanaian Waters.’ (Co-supervisor) 

Wilhelmina Delphina Dolphine (PhD, 2020/2021) – ‘Innovation and Sustainable Climate Financing: Ghana’s Climate Adaptation Finance, Transparency, and Accountability Initiatives for Effective Governance.’ (Principal Supervisor) 

Prosper Adiku (PhD, 2020/2021) – ‘Impacts of Climatic Drivers in the Spatio-Temporal Evolution of Diarrhoea in Coastal Ghana.’ (Co-supervisor) • Gifty Nuna Jiagge (PhD, 2021/2022) – ‘Climate Change Policy and Parliamentary Actions: The Role of the Ghanaian Parliament in Global Climate Actions.’ (Co-supervisor) 

Johnson Tsyawo (PhD, 2021/2022) – ‘Factors Influencing Pro-Environmental Behaviour of Pre-Service Teachers in Ghana: The Role of Social Norms and Personal Values.’ (Principal Supervisor) 

Clement Sullibie Saagulo Naabeh (PhD, 2021/2022) – ‘Ghana’s Forest Landscape Restoration Review and Assessment: Climate, Biodiversity, Social, and Soil Implications — Case of Akim Oda Forest District.’ (Co-supervisor) 

Euphemia Terkwor Oklah (PhD, 2021/2022) – ‘Assessing the Impacts and Socio-Economic Drivers of Microplastic Pollution on Ecosystem Services, Food Security, and Livelihoods in Selected Coastal Communities in the Greater Accra Region, Ghana.’ (Co-supervisor) • Dina Afua Oppong (PhD, 2021/2022) – ‘Exploring the Impact of Climate Change on WASH in Informal Settlements in Ghana.’ (Principal Supervisor)

Rafia Abdul-Samii (PhD, 2021/2022) – ‘Integrated Approach to Municipal Solid Waste Management for Sustainable Waste-to-Energy Generation in Ghana.’ (Co-supervisor) 

Ivy Serwaa Gyimah Akuoko (PhD, 2022/2023) – ‘Food Waste and Behavioural Change in the Global South: Understanding and Promoting Sustainable Consumption in Ghana.’ (Cosupervisor) 

Abdulai Mohammed Habibu (PhD, 2023/2024) – ‘Knowledge, Waste Management Practices and Water Quality: Understanding the Inter-Relationships and Implications for Sustainable Development in Northern Ghana.’ (Co-supervisor)

Obed Adjei (PhD, 2023/2024) – ‘Assessing the Environmental Impact of Port Development on Marine Sediment Dynamics and Benthic Assemblages: A Case Study of the Tema Port Terminal 3 Expansion Project, Ghana.’ (Co-supervisor) 

Eugene Darko Atiemo (PhD, 2023/2024) – ‘Urban Expansion and Land Use/Land Cover Change in the Akuapem Area.’ (Co-supervisor) 

MPhil

Nancy Abrahams (MPhil, 2021/2022) – ‘Addressing Plastic Pollution in the Densu Delta Ramsar Site in Ghana: A DPSIR Approach.’ (Co-supervisor) 

Lois Boatemaa Boateng (MPhil, 2021/2022) – ‘Assessing the Knowledge, Perception, and Attitude Towards Single-Use Plastic Bags: A Case Study in Nima, Ghana.’ (Principal Supervisor) 

Obed Omane Okyere (MPhil, 2021/2022) – ‘Coastal Erosion and Flood Risk Assessment at Akplabanya in the Volta Region of Ghana.’ (Principal Supervisor) 

Vincent Banoeyelle (MPhil, 2021/2022) – ‘Assessment of the Level of Impact of Offshore Oil and Gas Operational Discharges on the Benthic Community: The Case of TEN & Jubilee Fields, Ghana.’ (Co-supervisor)

Rachel Nkrumah (MPhil, 2021/2022) – ‘Laboratory Waste Management Systems in Selected Public Universities.’ (Principal Supervisor) 

Nii Amartey Amarteifio (MPhil, 2021/2022) – ‘Causality Analytics Between SDG 9 and SDG 6 and Its Implications for Sustainable Development: A Case Study of the Impact of the Pokuase Interchange Construction on Water Quality (Sunkwa Stream) in the Ga North Municipality.’ (Principal Supervisor) 

Serapis Asiedu Appiah (MPhil, 2021/2022) – ‘Performance Evaluation of the Cocoa Processing Company Wastewater Treatment Plant and Assessment of the Efficiency of Two Tertiary Treatment Methods.’ (Co-supervisor) 

Evelyn V. Messiba (MPhil, 2022/2023) – ‘An Investigation of the Role of Electric Vehicles in Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Combating Climate Change in Ghana.’ (Principal Supervisor) 

Ellen Nyuieme Avadetsi (MPhil, 2022/2023) – ‘Towards Sustainable Electronics Waste Recycling: Assessing Stakeholders’ Attitudes, Awareness, Knowledge, and Behaviours in Agbogbloshie, Ghana.’ (Co-supervisor) 

Samuel Doetey Nartey (MPhil, 2022/2023) – ‘Knowledge and Perception of Project Managers on Construction Waste Management in Greater Accra.’ (Principal Supervisor) 

Essel Paintsil (MPhil, 2022/2023) – ‘The Impact of Sanitation on Water Quality at Senior High Schools: The Role of Technology.’ (Co-supervisor)