Dr Ife Okafor-Yarwood
Lecturer in Sustainable Development
Biography
My research has generated critical insights across several key areas, including the blue economy, environmental justice, human security, maritime governance, and security. I take a critical approach to the concept of sustainable development, particularly concerning the management of marine and other natural resources. In doing so, I challenge prevailing security, environmental justice, and maritime governance assumptions.
My research approach is inherently multidisciplinary, blending empirical investigations, indigenous epistemologies, legal analysis, historical perspectives, and theoretical frameworks. This comprehensive approach allows me to explore the intricate factors shaping environmental justice, maritime and natural resource governance, and African security dynamics.
I continue to advance a deeper understanding of the intricacies of ocean sustainability, development, and criminal activities. These matters are intertwined with questions of resource management, environmental justice, and the disproportionate impact of resource depletion on maritime security, poverty, and inequality.
Research areas
Synergies between Indigenous practices and scientific knowledge in practicalising closed season in Ghana’s small-scale fisheries.
In my capacity as a 2023 PEW Marine Fellow, with the valuable support of a PhD researcher, our ongoing research centres on investigating the gender-specific impacts of conservation measures in West Africa. Specifically, we are scrutinising the effects of fishing closed seasons in Ghana. We aim to ascertain how integrating traditional knowledge, practices, and scientific methods can pave the way for a more equitable conservation policy in West Africa.
Simultaneously, as an oceans governance and maritime security consultant, my current engagement spans various policy-oriented projects. These include exploring women's participation in fisheries, an in-depth analysis of the challenges they confront, and formulating strategies to enhance their ability to leverage the opportunities arising from the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA). Additionally, I'm actively reviewing the geopolitical interests in maritime security in Africa, the role of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in maritime security and the intersection of gender, women, peace, and security agenda within the maritime context.
PhD supervision
- Josephine Asare
- Oladele Madamidola
- Allan Majalia
Selected publications
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Open access
La côte de l'Afrique de l'Ouest était un paradis pour la piraterie et la pêche illégale: comment la technologie change la donne
Okafor-Yarwood, I., 8 Mar 2024, The Conversation.Research output: Contribution to specialist publication › Article
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Open access
Technology and maritime security in Africa: opportunities and challenges in Gulf of Guinea
Okafor-Yarwood, I., Eastwood, O., Chikowore, N. & de Oliveira Paes, L., Feb 2024, In: Marine Policy. 160, 12 p., 105976.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Open access
West Africa’s coast was a haven for piracy and illegal fishing - how technology is changing the picture
Okafor-Yarwood, I., 6 Mar 2024, The Conversation.Research output: Contribution to specialist publication › Article
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Open access
Africa’s oceans are being protected to serve the interests of big foreign corporates
Okafor-Yarwood, I. & Onuoha, F. C., 26 Apr 2023, The Conversation.Research output: Contribution to specialist publication › Article
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Open access
Le nouveau traité sur la protection des océans du monde pourrait nuire aux pêcheries africaines vulnérables
Okafor-Yarwood, I., 17 Oct 2023, The Conversation.Research output: Contribution to specialist publication › Article
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Open access
Les océans d'Afrique sont protégés pour servir les intérêts des grandes entreprises étrangères
Okafor-Yarwood, I. & Onuoha, F. V., 2 May 2023, The Conversation.Research output: Contribution to specialist publication › Article
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Open access
New treaty to protect the world’s oceans may hurt vulnerable African fisheries
Okafor-Yarwood, I., 11 Oct 2023, The Conversation.Research output: Contribution to specialist publication › Article
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Open access
Whose security is it? Elitism and the global approach to maritime security in Africa
Okafor-Yarwood, I. & Onuoha, F. C., 1 Jun 2023, In: Third World Quarterly. 44, 5, p. 946-966 21 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Open access
"Ocean Optimism" and resilience: learning from women's responses to disruptions caused by COVID-19 to small-scale fisheries in the Gulf of Guinea
Okafor-Yarwood, I., van den Berg, S., Collins, Y. A. & Sefa-Nyarko, C., 22 Jun 2022, In: Frontiers in Marine Science. 9, 16 p., 862780.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Open access
African countries must protect their fish stocks from the European Union - here’s how
Okafor-Yarwood, I., 15 Feb 2022, The Conversation.Research output: Contribution to specialist publication › Article