PERSONAL STATEMENT
Issues that bother on economic growth and spatial development have become my utmost spec in the eye, being a graduate in Economics and Geography from the University of Ghana. This drive guided my undergraduate journey to conduct research on the socioeconomic impacts of cement production in Aflao. Research borne from my sheer curiosity to understand how local industries drive local economic growth and development. Using mixed methods, I examined how industrial activity by Diamond Cement Ghana Ltd. affected employment, livelihoods, environmental quality, and community development. This research experience exposed me to the disparities in the fact that local industries engineer local economic benefits rather than costs. I became increasingly aware that the main problem was a policy dearth, and economic transformations happening around me in Ghana cannot be interpreted by mere economic models but are shaped by an interplay of history, social structures, culture, governance, and the creativity of local players. GLOCAL's interdisciplinary framework reflects my personal and academic journey and represents the ideal training ground for my trajectory into policy analysis and development planning.
I graduated with Second Class Upper Honours with a strong foundation in macroeconomics, microeconomics, public finance, economic theory, statistics, and research methods. Courses such as Economic Planning and Resource Analysis sharpened my understanding of how governments make decisions about development priorities, while my training in GIS and spatial analysis taught me how geography interacts with economic outcomes. These experiences strengthened my desire to study global economic processes through a historical, community-based, and creativity-focused perspective, and that is precisely what GLOCAL offers.
GLOCAL presents an opportunity that builds directly on my practical and leadership experiences. Serving as President of the University of Ghana Economics Students' Society, I led initiatives that impacted thousands of students. My administration saw the establishment of academic and scholarship help desks, facilitated partnerships that secured 25 scholarships for underprivileged students, and collaborated with ICS Africa to deliver digital skills training to 100 students. I coordinated programmes on financial literacy, interview preparation, CV writing, and capacity building for over 1000 students to prepare a well-rounded class of graduates and proper human capital formation. These engagements trained me to lead diverse teams, build impactful networks and partnerships, manage projects, and communicate effectively, competencies that align with GLOCAL's emphasis on creativity, entrepreneurship, and organizational dynamics.
My leadership journey extended beyond the university walls. Being the Vice President of the Volta Region Students' Association, I led voluntary teaching programmes and sanitary pad donation drives aimed at empowering girls in remote communities. I coordinated tourism promotion initiatives that strengthened regional visibility and community identity. As a volunteer with the 100 Women's Empowerment Program, I contributed to STEAM-focused outreach for female students, helping to design and implement training activities across communities. These engagements taught me that development is deeply cultural and relational, shaped by local narratives, gender norms, and community values. They also reinforced my commitment to inclusive development and exemplified my commitment towards women empowerment initiatives and gender inclusion.
My work experience further complements the programme's orientation. At Societe Generale Ghana, where I served as a Banking Products Manager, I supported revenue generation and client relations through strategic sales of banking products, increasing organizational targets by 30%. This role has given me insight into financial services, corporate governance, and the constraints businesses face in emerging markets. Earlier, as a marketing representative for Mutti Pharmacy, I participated in community outreach, health screenings, and public engagement, strengthening my understanding of how trust, local reputation, and community participation shape market behaviour. These experiences sharpened my interest in how firms adapt to local contexts, and how policy can better support enterprise development, innovation, and competitive advantage.
Despite being early on my professional journey, my decision to pursue graduate studies now is intentional. I aim to transition into a career focused on economic development and policy analysis. I want to work in global development organisations like the OECD, UN, IMF and the World Bank, policy think tanks, or government agencies to support policymaking in areas such as entrepreneurship, local economic development, and structural transformation. To do this effectively, I need a programme that equips me with tools that combine economic analysis with history, culture, governance, and business studies. GLOCAL's comparative and mobility-based structure will expose me to diverse academic and economic climates, and also varying development models, helping me develop a more global and nuanced understanding of economic change.
I am interested in exploring how participation in global value chains shapes local development: evidence from SME manufacturing clusters in Ghana. I hope to examine the mechanisms linking Global Value Chain participation to local development outcomes in the context of Ghanaian manufacturing clusters. My competence in GIS and spatial analysis will allow me to map and analyse the geographic distribution of SME clusters, assess how proximity to infrastructure and trade hubs affects competitiveness, and visualise spatial inequalities in development outcomes.
My participation in academic conferences, leadership programmes, and capacity-building initiatives has also shaped my intellectual trajectory. I have attended the African Finance and Economic Association Annual Economic Conference, the Ghana Compact Citizens' Convention by the African Centre for Economic Transformation, and other leadership summits and lectures. As a Fellow in the Aspire Leaders Program hosted by Harvard Business School's Aspire Institute, I engaged in global leadership training that expanded my international perspective and strengthened my motivation to pursue advanced studies. These engagements have exposed me to global discussions on development, economic governance, and youth empowerment.
Throughout my academic and leadership journey, I have been recognized with awards, including Best Executive of the Year for my work in the Economics Students' Society and the Vice Chancellor's "One Student, One Laptop Initiative." These recognitions reflect my dedication to excellence, community service, and impactful leadership.
Collectively, my academic training, research experience, leadership roles, volunteer commitments, and professional engagements have shaped a personal mission: to understand how global economic structures intersect with local realities, and to help design policies that empower communities to shape their own development futures. The GLOCAL programme is the important next step in this mission. Its interdisciplinary curriculum, international mobility, and emphasis on historical and creative scopes of economic change align perfectly with my experiences, abilities, and aspirations. I am confident that I will thrive in the programme and contribute meaningfully to the GLOCAL community, bringing perspectives grounded in African development realities and a strong commitment to inclusive and locally grounded economic transformation.
Issues that bother on economic growth and spatial development have become my utmost spec in the eye, being a graduate in Economics and Geography from the University of Ghana. This drive guided my undergraduate journey to conduct research on the socioeconomic impacts of cement production in Aflao. Research borne from my sheer curiosity to understand how local industries drive local economic growth and development. Using mixed methods, I examined how industrial activity by Diamond Cement Ghana Ltd. affected employment, livelihoods, environmental quality, and community development. This research experience exposed me to the disparities in the fact that local industries engineer local economic benefits rather than costs. I became increasingly aware that the main problem was a policy dearth, and economic transformations happening around me in Ghana cannot be interpreted by mere economic models but are shaped by an interplay of history, social structures, culture, governance, and the creativity of local players. GLOCAL's interdisciplinary framework reflects my personal and academic journey and represents the ideal training ground for my trajectory into policy analysis and development planning.
I graduated with Second Class Upper Honours with a strong foundation in macroeconomics, microeconomics, public finance, economic theory, statistics, and research methods. Courses such as Economic Planning and Resource Analysis sharpened my understanding of how governments make decisions about development priorities, while my training in GIS and spatial analysis taught me how geography interacts with economic outcomes. These experiences strengthened my desire to study global economic processes through a historical, community-based, and creativity-focused perspective, and that is precisely what GLOCAL offers.
GLOCAL presents an opportunity that builds directly on my practical and leadership experiences. Serving as President of the University of Ghana Economics Students' Society, I led initiatives that impacted thousands of students. My administration saw the establishment of academic and scholarship help desks, facilitated partnerships that secured 25 scholarships for underprivileged students, and collaborated with ICS Africa to deliver digital skills training to 100 students. I coordinated programmes on financial literacy, interview preparation, CV writing, and capacity building for over 1000 students to prepare a well-rounded class of graduates and proper human capital formation. These engagements trained me to lead diverse teams, build impactful networks and partnerships, manage projects, and communicate effectively, competencies that align with GLOCAL's emphasis on creativity, entrepreneurship, and organizational dynamics.
My leadership journey extended beyond the university walls. Being the Vice President of the Volta Region Students' Association, I led voluntary teaching programmes and sanitary pad donation drives aimed at empowering girls in remote communities. I coordinated tourism promotion initiatives that strengthened regional visibility and community identity. As a volunteer with the 100 Women's Empowerment Program, I contributed to STEAM-focused outreach for female students, helping to design and implement training activities across communities. These engagements taught me that development is deeply cultural and relational, shaped by local narratives, gender norms, and community values. They also reinforced my commitment to inclusive development and exemplified my commitment towards women empowerment initiatives and gender inclusion.
My work experience further complements the programme's orientation. At Societe Generale Ghana, where I served as a Banking Products Manager, I supported revenue generation and client relations through strategic sales of banking products, increasing organizational targets by 30%. This role has given me insight into financial services, corporate governance, and the constraints businesses face in emerging markets. Earlier, as a marketing representative for Mutti Pharmacy, I participated in community outreach, health screenings, and public engagement, strengthening my understanding of how trust, local reputation, and community participation shape market behaviour. These experiences sharpened my interest in how firms adapt to local contexts, and how policy can better support enterprise development, innovation, and competitive advantage.
Despite being early on my professional journey, my decision to pursue graduate studies now is intentional. I aim to transition into a career focused on economic development and policy analysis. I want to work in global development organisations like the OECD, UN, IMF and the World Bank, policy think tanks, or government agencies to support policymaking in areas such as entrepreneurship, local economic development, and structural transformation. To do this effectively, I need a programme that equips me with tools that combine economic analysis with history, culture, governance, and business studies. GLOCAL's comparative and mobility-based structure will expose me to diverse academic and economic climates, and also varying development models, helping me develop a more global and nuanced understanding of economic change.
I am interested in exploring how participation in global value chains shapes local development: evidence from SME manufacturing clusters in Ghana. I hope to examine the mechanisms linking Global Value Chain participation to local development outcomes in the context of Ghanaian manufacturing clusters. My competence in GIS and spatial analysis will allow me to map and analyse the geographic distribution of SME clusters, assess how proximity to infrastructure and trade hubs affects competitiveness, and visualise spatial inequalities in development outcomes.
My participation in academic conferences, leadership programmes, and capacity-building initiatives has also shaped my intellectual trajectory. I have attended the African Finance and Economic Association Annual Economic Conference, the Ghana Compact Citizens' Convention by the African Centre for Economic Transformation, and other leadership summits and lectures. As a Fellow in the Aspire Leaders Program hosted by Harvard Business School's Aspire Institute, I engaged in global leadership training that expanded my international perspective and strengthened my motivation to pursue advanced studies. These engagements have exposed me to global discussions on development, economic governance, and youth empowerment.
Throughout my academic and leadership journey, I have been recognized with awards, including Best Executive of the Year for my work in the Economics Students' Society and the Vice Chancellor's "One Student, One Laptop Initiative." These recognitions reflect my dedication to excellence, community service, and impactful leadership.
Collectively, my academic training, research experience, leadership roles, volunteer commitments, and professional engagements have shaped a personal mission: to understand how global economic structures intersect with local realities, and to help design policies that empower communities to shape their own development futures. The GLOCAL programme is the important next step in this mission. Its interdisciplinary curriculum, international mobility, and emphasis on historical and creative scopes of economic change align perfectly with my experiences, abilities, and aspirations. I am confident that I will thrive in the programme and contribute meaningfully to the GLOCAL community, bringing perspectives grounded in African development realities and a strong commitment to inclusive and locally grounded economic transformation.
