Akosua Adomako Ampofo, a renowned feminist scholar and public intellectual, is widely recognised for advancing African and gender studies at the University of Ghana.
Through her influential research, activism, and creative work, she has played a key role in promoting the decolonisation of knowledge and championing women’s empowerment across Africa and the global diaspora.
Adomako Ampofo began her academic career at the University of Ghana in 1989 after earning a PhD in Sociology from Vanderbilt University in the United States. Over the decades, she has played a pivotal role in shaping feminist scholarship and African-centred research within higher education.
She became the founding director of the Centre for Gender Studies and Advocacy at the University of Ghana, helping establish one of the region’s leading institutions dedicated to gender research and policy engagement.
Later, she served as Director of the Institute of African Studies from 2010 to 2015, where she strengthened interdisciplinary research on African societies, cultures, and politics.
Beyond Ghana, her influence has extended globally. She has held visiting professorships at institutions such as the University of Birmingham and the University of Kassel, where she served as the Wangari Maathai Visiting Professor (2023–2024). In 2025, she was appointed the Claude Ake Chair at the Nordic Africa Institute, a prestigious position that recognises leading scholars working on African governance, peace, and development.
Advancing Feminist Scholarship in Africa
Throughout her career, Adomako Ampofo has been a powerful voice in feminist thought and African scholarship. Her research examines gender relations, race, identity politics, and African masculinities while advocating for African-centred knowledge systems that challenge colonial frameworks in academia.
She has contributed significantly to the global feminist movement through both scholarship and institutional leadership. Notably, she is a founding Vice President and former President of the African Studies Association of Africa, an organisation dedicated to strengthening African scholarship and amplifying African voices in global academic debates.
Her work often highlights how gender inequalities intersect with broader social structures such as politics, religion, and education, encouraging scholars and policymakers to rethink how knowledge is produced and whose voices are represented.
Research, Storytelling, and Creative Activism
Her contributions extend beyond traditional academic research. She integrates scholarship with storytelling and media to document African feminist histories and amplify women’s voices.
She co-edited the influential book Producing Inclusive Feminist Knowledge: Positionalities and Discourses in the Global South (2021), which explores how scholars from the Global South contribute to feminist knowledge production.
Her research project “An Archive of Activism: Gender and Public History in Postcolonial Ghana” inspired the documentary “When Women Speak” (2022), which chronicles the experiences and activism of Ghanaian women. Through such projects, she has helped preserve feminist histories that are often overlooked in mainstream narratives.
Her work on initiatives such as African Youth Masculinities and Healing Justice Chronicles blends research, storytelling, and digital media to explore issues of gender, identity, and social transformation.
Recognition and Continuing Impact
Over the years, Adomako Ampofo has received numerous accolades recognising her contributions to feminist scholarship and social justice. She is a Fellow of the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences and received the Feminist Activism Award from Sociologists for Women in Society in 2010.
She is also a three-time Fulbright Fellow and a Rockefeller Bellagio alumnus, reflecting the global recognition of her work.
In 2024, she co-founded 715House Productions Ltd with her daughter, Akosua-Asamoabea Ampofo, a media company dedicated to reshaping global narratives about Africa and amplifying African stories through film and creative media.
A Legacy of Feminist Leadership
Often describing herself as an “activist scholar,” Adomako Ampofo continues to mentor emerging scholars, advocate for academic freedom, and champion gender justice across Africa and the diaspora. Through her work in research, education, media, and activism, she has helped transform conversations about gender, power, and identity while building a stronger foundation for African feminist scholarship.
Her career stands as a testament to the power of knowledge, storytelling, and activism in shaping more inclusive and equitable societies.
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