Collins Adjei Mensah

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences
Doctoral Researcher

Contact details

Email: cxa129@bham.ac.uk
Secondary Email: collinsadjeimensah@gmail.com

Address: School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences
University of Birmingham
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B15 2TT
UK

Collins Adjei Mensah is a PhD candidate of the University of Birmingham. He is a strong advocate for sustainability of urban green spaces in Africa and is currently undertaking a project on revitalizing the loss of urban green spaces in Africa using Kumasi Metropolis (Ghana) as the study area. The project is underpinned by collaborative governance theory and case study research strategy. The rich teaching and research experiences of Mr Adjei Mensah in urban affairs and environmental management have put him on top of issues affecting town planning, urban governance, green space management, informal settlements, environmental sustainability, and rural and urban livelihoods especially in the context of Africa.

His dedication and strong desire for preserving and integrating the natural vegetation in the urban physical landscape has made him renowned for contributing to a number of policy papers and academic articles on urban green spaces, in order to enhance the existing knowledge in those areas.

Qualifications

BA Social Science (Geography and Economics)
MPhil Geography (Specializing in Urban Planning)

Biography

Collins Adjei Mensah previously studied at the University of Cape Coast (UCC) in Ghana where he pursued both his Bachelors and Masters degrees in 2007 and 2010 respectively. Due to his academic brilliance, after his Bachelors degree he was selected as a Teaching Assistant at the Department of Geography and Regional Planning at UCC. In 2010 he won the French Embassy fieldwork grant for Masters students in Ghana.

Between 2009 and 2011, Mr Adjei Mensah performed several teaching and research roles. He served as an Assistant Examiner for the Resource Perception and Management Course, and as a Tutor for Economy of Ghana, and Social Studies Courses at the Centre for Continuing Education at UCC. He was also employed by the Institute of Education at UCC as an Assistant Examiner for the Environmental and Social Studies Course for Colleges of Education in Ghana. His strong research background and experience earned him the higher position of Principal Research Assistant at the Department of Geography and Regional Planning in 2011.

In 2012, he won a Ghana Government Scholarship to pursue PhD in Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Birmingham (UK). At the University of Birmingham, Mr Adjei Mensah has engaged himself in many teaching and research posts to enhance his skills and experiences in that direction. He has performed the role of a Teaching Associate for EISU on three different occasions, Research Fellow for CLAD for seven months and has been a demonstrator for different modules in the School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences. Since January 2015 he has been working as a Postgraduate Research Assistant for the Birmingham Project, a research project for undergraduate students at the University of Birmingham. Collins Adjei Mensah also has many peer-reviewed papers to his credit.

Doctoral research

PhD title: Sustaining urban green spaces in Africa: A case study of Kumasi Metropolis, Ghana
Supervisor: Dr Mike Beazley

Research

Research interests

Urban and Regional Planning, Landscape Ecology, Urban Governance, Environmental Sustainability, Housing and Built Environment, Green Space Management, and Livelihood studies

Other activities

Collins Adjei Mensah is an ad hoc reviewer for a number of academic journals such as Journal of Geography and Regional Planning, Greener Journals, and International Journal of Educational Policy Research and Review. He is also an active member of various different professional academic associations. Among such associations are the Regional Studies Association (RSA), Institute of Environment and Recreational Management (IERM), International Society for Development and Sustainability (ISDS), Union for African Population Studies (UAPS), and Ghana Geographical Association (GGA).

In 2014, he was appointed as the president for Ghana Students at the University of Birmingham (UK). On two different occasions, Mr Adjei Mensah has been invited to South Africa as a keynote speaker to give presentations on urban green spaces in Africa. He is now collaborating with some professionals from the Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo (South Africa) to undertake a project on the success stories of Africa’s green spaces.

Publications

Book and book chapters

Adjei Mensah, C., Andres, L., Beazley, M., & Roji, A. (2015). Managing urban green spaces in Africa: A collaborative governance approach. In: Sener, A., Rajput, N., & Arif, Z. U. (eds), Advances in Resource Management and Consumer Sciences. Arkansas (USA): Oric Publications (Forthcoming).

Adjei Mensah, C., Acheampong, P. K. & Antwi, K. B. (2012). Informal settlement practices in Ghanaian cities: The case of Kumasi. Saarbrücken : Lap Lambert Academic Publishing.

Peer Reviewed Journal Articles

Salifu-Asubay, E. K., & Adjei Mensah, C. (2015). Improving delivery of construction projects in Ghana's cities: A lean construction approach. Sustainable Construction Engineering and Technology, 6(1):1-15.

Adjei Mensah, C, Antwi, K. B., & Acheampong, P. K. (2014). Urban housing crisis: Tracing the factors behind the growth of informal settlements in Kumasi, Ghana. Journal of Human and Social Science Research, 5(1):9-20

Adjei Mensah, C. (2014). Urban green spaces in Africa: Nature and challenges. International Journal of Ecosystem, 4(1):1-11.

Adjei Mensah, C. (2014). Is Kumasi still a garden city? Land use analysis between 1980-210. Journal of Environment and Ecology, 5(2): 83-101.

Adjei Mensah, C., Antwi, K. B., & Dauda, S. (2014). Female traditional leaders and community planning and development in Ghana. Environmental Management and Sustainable Development, 3(1): 205-220.

Adjei Mensah, C. (2014). Destruction of urban green spaces: A problem beyond urbanisation in Kumasi city (Ghana). American Journal of Environmental Protection, 3(1):1-9.

Adjei Mensah, C., & Roji, A. (2014). Urban green spaces in Africa. Landscape SA (Irrigation edition), 61:30-33.

Dauda, S., Adjei Mensah, C., & Nutsugbodo, R. Y. (2014). Urban poverty in northern Ghana: Tracing the livelihood strategies of women in the shea butter industry. Human and Social Science Research, 3(1):15-25.

Adjei Mensah, C., Antwi, K. B., & Acheampong, P. K. (2013). Behavioural dimension of the growth of informal settlements in Kumasi city, Ghana. Research on Humanities and Social Sciences, 3(12):1-10.

Adjei Mensah, C., Biney, S. O., & Dauda, S. (2013). Urban environmental injustices in Ghana: The activities of small scale palm oil producers in the Ahanta West District. International Journal of Development and Sustainability, 2(3):1723-1743.

Forster, A., & Adjei Mensah, C. (2013). Enhancing urban roads maintenance in Ghana: Implications for sustainable urban Development. Journal of Civil and Environmental Research, 3(12): 63-75.

Suleman, D., Mariwah, S., & Adjei Mensah, C. (2013). Left to their fate? Effects of mining on the environment and wellbeing of residents in the Asutifi District, Ghana. Journal of Environment and Earth Science, 3(12): 86-96

Conference papers

Adjei Mensah, C. (2014). Nature and challenges of urban green spaces in Africa: Insights from selected African cities. A paper presented at 2014 IERM Convention, Richards Bay (city of uMhlathuze), South Africa, Sept. 29 – Oct., 1.

Adjei Mensah, C. (2014). What is the state of green spaces in your city? Lessons from Kumasi city (Ghana). A paper presented at University of South Africa’s (UNISA) colloquium, UNISA Florida Science Campus, Johannesburg, South Africa, October 2.

Adjei Mensah, C. (2014). Nature and challenges of urban green spaces in Africa. A paper presented at Johannesburg city Parks and Zoo annual public dialogue. Johannesburg, South Africa, July 2-4.

Adjei Mensah, C., Acheampong, P. K., & Antwi, K.B. (2011). Living in beehives: The growth of unauthorised structures in the Kumasi Metropolis, Ghana. A paper presented at 6th African population conference, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, December 5-9.