Dr Abena Boakye

Dr Abena Boakye (PhD, Food Science and Technology) is a positive, self-motivated researcher at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Ghana. A quick learner with strong work ethic, she enjoys working in a team and translating her knowledge and expertise into tangible outputs that support food and nutrition security and improve livelihoods. Dr Boakye’s research explores the use of indigenous underutilised species and traditional food systems to meet dietary needs amidst climate change influences. She was the food scientist on the Ghanaian team for the interdisciplinary Fried Sweetpotato Product Profiling Project for West Africa and has also received recognition through international activity grants and scholarly awards. Abena aspires to make meaningful professional contributions as an advocate for sustainable food security and improved nutrition in Africa and uses every opportunity to build capacity in food compositional studies, sensory science, and value-addition interventions along food chains. She is affiliated with several professional bodies and is the current Kumasi branch treasurer of the Ghana Science Association. Outside academia, Abena is a Bible class teacher and also pursues community engagement activities that “Demystify Science and make STEM friendly”. She loves to inspire young females to take up leadership positions in their areas of influence.