Fellows

There are two types of fellows associated with the Institute for African Development. Each type appears belows with the names of current fellows, along with some short information about each.

• Graduate Fellows
• Senior Visiting Fellows

Graduate Fellows

The Institute, in collaboration with other programs and organizations, awards several fellowships each year to African students admitted to graduate study at Cornell University. This year the Institute awarded 18 fellowships. The Graduate Fellows are from 10 different countries and enrolled in 9 different fields of study. They will receive, upon completion of their study, degrees ranging from MPS to PhD. The following were awarded fellowships:

William Agyebeng (Ghana/LLM/Law) received his first degree in law from the University of Ghana and is one of the youngest lawyers in Ghana. Mr. Agyebeng is interested in rights-based law subjects which are directly linked to socioeconomic development, and intends to research the implementation of international environmental instruments on the socioeconomic development of developing countries.

Hermann Pascal Andriamanambina (Madagascar/MS/Natural Resources) obtained a degree in computer science from the University of Antananarivo, and currently works to assist local populations in developing and implementing community-based natural resource management initiatives. After Cornell, he plans to return to Madagascar to contribute to efforts designed to protect the biodiversity of the country.

Illeme Bonsi (Ghana/MS/Food Science and Technology) research interests include diet and cancer research, food chemistry and international food science. Ms. Bonsi’s ultimate goal is to “develop new food products through the use of neutraceutical and functional food concepts, also making use of prebotics to improve already existing food products to meet the standards of growing health conscious societies.”

Enyinnaya Elekwachi (Nigeria/MPS/International Agriculture and Rural Development) received his master’s degree in development studies from the Institute of Social Studies in the Netherlands. At Cornell, he will continue his study of the impact of genetically modified seed in the development of agriculture in Nigeria.

Dolapo Enahoro (Nigeria/MS/Agricultural Economics) obtained bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Agronomy and Agricultural Economics from the University of Ibadan. Her interests are in agricultural financing and development, and the roles that availability and rationing of financing options play in the agricultural productivity performance of developing countries. On completion of her studies, Ms Enahoro wants to be involved in the high-level research that is necessary to drive agricultural policy in Nigeria.

Jane Essandoh-Bondzie (Ghana/LLM/Law) received her bachelor of law degree from Ghana School of Law. At Cornell, she would like to address the “need for the laws and regulatory framework to be updated to be commensurate with the global emerging trend.”

Amsalu Gebreselassie (Ethiopia/MPS/International Agriculture and Rural Development) obtained his BA degree in accounting from Addis Ababa University. Before coming to Cornell, he served as Director of the Program Department for Catholic Relief Services in Ethiopia, and plans to pursue an interest in rural financial issues.

Samson Hagos (Eritrea/MA/Atmospheric Sciences) earned a BSc. degree in physics from the University of Asmara. His interest in climate sciences had led him to strive for the improvement of emergency planning and management of available resources to alleviate the consequences of drought, especially in response to the West African Monsoon.

Mercy Lung’Aho (Kenya/PhD/Food Science) graduated with an honors BS degree in Food Science and Technology from the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology. She is particularly interested in food-based strategies that can be used to overcome micronutrient deficiencies, and hopes that the knowledge she will acquire on fortification and supplementations will prove useful in conducting research and public health education in Kenya.

Sandra Lwanga (Kenya/MPS/International Development) obtained a BA in Social Sciences from Makere University in Uganda. Her ultimate aim is to “establish a micro credit facility in Uganda, as a means of empowering households that are otherwise without access to credit to finance income generating projects, and in so doing provide a means to create sustainable livelihoods for people, creating wealth and a better standard of living over time.”

Paswel Phiri Marenya (Kenya/PhD/Natural Resources) received a BSc. degree in agriculture and MSc. degree in agricultural economics, both from the University of Nairobi. At Cornell, he intends to focus his research on issues of natural resources policy and management in relation to long-term poverty reduction in East Africa.

Nkosinathi Mbuya (Zimbabwe/PhD/Nutritional Sciences) obtained his MSc. degree in Community Nutrition from the University of Southampton. After Cornell, he plans to return to Zimbabwe to help develop effective nutritional strategies to address the challenges faced by the East, Central and Southern African region.

Zandile Mbuya (Zimbabwe/International Development) has a bachelor’s degree, with honors, in English from the University of Zimbabwe. Her interests are mainly focused on “public policy as it relates to the improvement of gender relations, human rights and democracy, as well as political and other humanitarian crises.”

Mainza Mugoya (Uganda/PhD/Applied Economics and Management) completed his bachelor’s degree in quantitative economics at Makerere University. He will pursue his interest in agricultural economics at Cornell, and plans to be part of the team of economic analysts and policy makers who determine the economic direction of Uganda.

Wilson Muyenzi (Rwanda/MEng/Computer Science) has a bachelor of science in engineering (Computer Science and Information Technology) from the Kigali Institute of Science, Technology and Management in Rwanda. At Cornell, he will specialize in computer networking and computer programming. On the completion of his studies, he plans to return to the Kigali Institute, where he is on study leave as a tutorial assistant in the department of Computer Engineering. In addition to his teaching and research roles at his University, Mr. Munyezi headed the Computer Center and looks forward to returning there to more effectively run the unit and contribute to staff training.

Chilezie Nnadi (Nigeria/MS/Electrical and Computer Engineering) obtained a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Temple University. His research in dynamics and systems design has led him to Cornell, where he plans to fulfill his “desire to be part of the great technological advancement in the area of microelectromechanical systems.”

Pierre Jean Claude Randrianarisoa (Ph.D. / Agricultural Economics – Madagascar). Mr. Randrianarisoa attended the University of Madagascar, where he graduated with a degree in Agricultural Engineering. He worked as a researcher with the National Agricultural Research Center (FOFIFA) in Madagascar before coming to the US for graduate study. Mr. Randrianarisoa attended the Michigan State University, where he obtained a Master’s degree in Agricultural Economics. At Cornell, his research is primarily on agricultural production and agricultural markets in the developing country context.

Helder Zavale (Mozambique/MS/Agricultural Economics) attended Eduardo Mondlane University, where he obtained his undergraduate degree in Agronomy. On graduation, he worked as a tutorial assistant in the Agricultural Economics section of the Eduardo Mondlane University. Mr. Zavale’s research focus is agribusiness development, which is a priority development strategy in Mozambique. After Cornell, he plans to contribute to the capacity building of his former university through teaching and research.

Senior Visiting Fellows

Raj Bardouille has well over 31 years of work experience at the university level and within international organizations of the United Nations system. Of this, more than 24 years were spent on African development issues, and about 7 years on Caribbean development issues, including the areas of macro- and micro-economics; governance; post-conflict development; official development assistance and other resource flows to Africa; development planning; human resource planning; development and utilization; gender and development; labour - and manpower economics; informal sector; technology transfer and science and technology policies; follow-up to the outcome of global conferences (World Social Summit, Millennium Development, Financing for Development, WTO Ministerial conference (Doha Development Round), Third UN Conference on LDCs, World Summit for Sustainable Development, among others) as they relate to Africa; follow-up on the Millennium Development Goals, the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), the Cotonou Agreement and the Economic Partnership agreements between the EU and the ACP States.

Marcel Kitissou is the Faculty Director for the Global Humanitarian Action and International Development internship programs at George Mason University. Dr. Kitissou has served as the Executive Director of the Africa Faith and Justice Network in Washington, DC. He is the founder of the Peace Education and Conflict Ethos (PEACE) Institute at the State University of New York at Oswego. Originally from Togo, Dr. Kitissou earned a doctoral degree in Contemporary History from the University of Bordeaux in France and a PhD in Political Science from Syracuse University. His most recent research has focused on development issues concerning water management, conflict resolution, and relations among ethnic groups.

Mechthild Nagel is Associate Professor of Philosophy at SUNY Cortland and author of 2 books: Race, Class, and Community Identity (2000) and Masking the Abject: A Genealogy of Play (2002). In addition to being editor-in-chief of Wagadu: A Journal for Transnational Women's and Gender Studies, she is also active in prison education and teaches in area prisons as well.

Judith Van Allen is doing research on women's political mobilization in Africa focusing on the Setswana legal and political system in Botswana. Her research focus is on the political economy of feminism in Botswana, particularly the relationship between capitalism and feminism. Dr. Van Allen is also interested in the contradictory ways in which capitalism creates and destroys possibilities for social relations, and how different groups of people, (by gender, economic status, region, urban-rural) act to resist or take advantage of social/economic/political restructuring. Dr. Van Allen is examining how women from different social groups, areas of residence and histories react to their changing circumstances, develop new forms of consciousness, and act to use systemic contradictions to improve their lives on their own terms. She received her doctorate from the University of California, Berkeley.