Dr Ife Okafor-Yarwood
Lecturer in Sustainable Development
Biography
My research to date has generated critical insights around the blue economy, environmental justice, human security, maritime governance, and security. I bring a critical lens to the concept of sustainable development in relation to the management of marine and other natural resources and challenge the dominant assumptions on the areas of security, environmental justice, and maritime governance.
My multidisciplinary research combines empirical (indigenous epistemologies), doctrinal, historical, and theoretical analysis to investigate the complexities that shape environmental justice, maritime and natural resource governance, and security in Africa.
I continue to advance the understanding of oceans sustainability and criminality as a question of resource management, environmental justice, and the disproportionate effects of depleting resources on security, poverty, and inequality.
Research areas
Examining the Gendered Impact(s) of Maritime Insecurity and Covid-19 in the Gulf of Guinea
I currently lead a research team exploring the gendered dimensions of maritime (in)security in the Gulf of Guinea (GOG) and in light of the effects of the global Covid-19 pandemic across the region’s maritime domain and security. This project responds to research and knowledge gaps around the gendered construction and experiences of maritime security. It aims to generate a multi-level understanding of the gendered dimensions of maritime insecurity in the GoG. This research explores gender considerations in relation to the region’s maritime security architecture and unpacks the gendered implications of the current Covid-19 pandemic on experiences of maritime insecurity and ocean optimism across the GoG.
PhD supervision
- Oladele Madamidola
- Allan Majalia
Selected publications
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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., 13 Feb 2023, (E-pub ahead of print) In: Third World Quarterly. Latest Articles, 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
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Open access
Issues of context, capacity and scale: essential conditions and missing links for a sustainable blue economy
Niner, H. J., Barut, N. C., Baum, T., Diz, D., Pozo, D. L. D., Laing, S., Lancaster, A. M. S. N., McQuaid, K. A., Mendo, T., Morgera, E., Maharaj, P. N., Okafor-Yarwood, I., Ortega-Cisneros, K., Warikandwa, T. V. & Rees, S., 1 Apr 2022, In: Environmental Science and Policy. 130, p. 25-35 11 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Open access
Survival of the richest, not the fittest: how attempts to improve governance impact African small-scale marine fisheries
Okafor-Yarwood, I., Kadagi, N. I., Belhabib, D. & Allison, E. H., 1 Jan 2022, In: Marine Policy. 135, 13 p., 104847.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Open access
The vulnerability of tropical peatlands to oil and gas exploration and extraction
Lawson, I. T., Honorio Coronado, E. N., Andueza, L., Cole, L. E. S., Dargie, G., Davies, A., Laurie, N., Okafor-Yarwood, I., Roucoux, K. & Simpson, M., 1 Dec 2022, In: Progress in Environmental Geography. 1, 1-4, p. 84-114 31 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration: key considerations for Africa
Nsikani, M. M., Anderson, P., Bouragaoui, Z., Geerts, S., Gornish, E. S., Kairo, J. G., Khan, N., Madikizela, B., Mganga, K. Z., Ntshotsho, P., Okafor-Yarwood, I., Webster, K. M. E. & Peer, N., 2 May 2022, (E-pub ahead of print) In: Restoration Ecology. Early View, 8 p., e13699.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Open access
West Africa’s fisher women are experts at coping with job insecurity – but policymakers are using their resilience against them
Okafor-Yarwood, I., 8 Sep 2022, The Conversation.Research output: Contribution to specialist publication › Article
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Open access
African marine rules favour big industry, leaving small-scale fishers in the lurch
Okafor-Yarwood, I. & Allison, E. H., 19 Nov 2021, The Conversation.Research output: Contribution to specialist publication › Article
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Open access
How illegal fishing harms Nigeria and what to do about it
Okafor-Yarwood, I. & van den Berg Bhagwandas, S., 1 Jun 2021, The Conversation.Research output: Contribution to specialist publication › Article