Lindsay Fellowship Spotlight Series: Joshua Amponsah

Project Title: Land Rights and Conservation Conflicts in Africa: A Comparative Study of Ghana and Kenya

Joshua Amponsah, (student, MA African Studies), spent his summer navigating the Kalakpa Resource Reserve in Ghana and the Embobut Forest in Kenya, exploring the balance between land rights, conservation, and local livelihoods.

The Lindsay Fellowship enabled him to access key stakeholders and communities, providing invaluable insights into the tension between social justice and ecological conservation.

"The most impactful part of my research was engaging directly with local communities. Fieldwork showed me complexities I could never grasp from books alone," Joshua shares.

His journey wasn't without challenges—particularly the local communities' skepticism toward outsiders accompanied by forest rangers. But by proudly donning Yale-branded attire, he built trust and bridged gaps. “Identifying as a Yale student was not only protection but an invitation for dialogue, even when tensions were high,” he recalls.

The Lindsay Fellowship gave Joshua the resources to transform his research. “This award allowed me to contribute fresh insights to my field while shaping me as a scholar,” he says.

Joshua’s work continues to illuminate the crucial intersection of land rights and conservation, highlighting how funding from the Lindsay Fellowship opens doors for groundbreaking research in Africa.