Image: Sarpong Hammond Antwi
DkIT’s Dr Sarpong Hammond Antwi discusses his water-governance research and the impact on communities from Ireland to Ghana.
A passionate advocate for climate and sustainability, Dr Sarpong Hammond Antwi describes himself as dedicated and relentless in the pursuit of research excellence.
Earlier this year, Antwi completed a PhD on water governance and management practices at Dundalk Institute of Technology (DkIT). He has recently been awarded a prestigious Irish Research Council Postdoctoral Fellowship to continue and build upon his research.
Having initially pursued an interest in community development, Antwi learned about the important role of governance in the issue of water management and sustainability, and has been determined to bridge research, policy and practice in this vital area ever since. His research outputs have already influenced water management strategies in diverse regions, including Ireland, Algeria and Ghana.
Tell us about your current research.
I’m currently a postdoctoral fellow at DkIT, working on water resource governance and management transition, and on an actor-network analysis of stakeholders in Ireland.
This research aims to promote the transition towards a sustainable water future for Ireland through integrated stakeholder engagement practices. The multidisciplinary project team includes: Dr Suzanne Linnane, who serves as the project mentor at DkIT; Prof Jill Slinger, an associate professor at TU Delft in the Netherlands and a visiting professor at Rhodes University in South Africa; Dr Alec Rolston, the director of the Goyder Institute for Water Research in Australia, and Dr David Getty (Emeritus), who previously held the position of director at the Humanities and Social Science Research Centre at DkIT.
Through transdisciplinary research objectives, this project seeks to develop a framework that can be adopted as a novel approach to address unresolved legacy challenges with stakeholder engagement in water governance and management in Ireland and assess the level of influence among actors in the water sector in Ireland by taking into stock their interests, resource allocation and means of engagement, and their trade-offs and conflicts.
The research will further answer key questions on the extent to which stakeholder engagement influences water policies and the stakeholders’ status in water governance and management in Ireland. It will also take into account social, demographic and environmental changes while professing integrated-based recommendations that can contribute to the design, adoption and implementation of water governance and management.
In your opinion, why is your research important?
My research outputs over time have been timely as they delve deeply into how governance and management can be recalibrated to ensure a sustainable water future for Ireland in the presence of continuous climate change and its resultant impact on water availability.
The outcomes have stimulated policy interest, particularly in Ireland’s river basin management planning. The outcomes of my published and ongoing research also serve as a valuable resource for policymakers, researchers and students engaged in active research and fieldwork on water resources.
Looking into my new project, it will impact water policy implementation in Europe while advancing scientific interest, knowledge, public debate and understanding of stakeholder dynamics and relevance to water resource governance and management.
What inspired you to become a researcher?
A profound sense of discontent drove my trajectory toward research. While pursuing a bachelor’s degree in community development in Ghana, I was surprised with how communities in Northern Ghana, with a vast amount of sunshine all year round, could not harness the benefit of the sun to produce energy.
At that time, Ghana was facing energy crises, with some parts of the country rationing electricity supply. This motivated me to study an MSc in energy policy, funded by the African Union, to understand how solar energy could be utilised for various communities.
During my MSc study, I also realised that funding for energy projects greatly impacted water resources, particularly for downstream communities with synergies in water and energy usually not utilised.
From there, I found a great interest in water management and governance. With funding from the Irish Higher Education Landscape fund, I pursued a three-year PhD project into water governance and management in Ireland.
In all these academic pursuits, my aim has been to find solutions to common social problems by understanding them from the policy perspective, with a focus on implementation, practices and impacts on community development.
My goal has always been to find solutions to identified social problems by studying them from a policy perspective, emphasising implementation, practices and community development impacts.
Climate change, its effects on communities, citizen mobilisation and stakeholder involvement in the Irish and African contexts, and the connections between governance, policy implementations and sustainable outcomes have been the subject of my recent research focus.
I’m also interested in examining the role of state-led versus community interventions in shaping development and the relationships among various state stakeholders and interested parties.
What are some of the biggest challenges or misconceptions you face as a researcher in your field?
Personally, I strive to turn potential problems into advantages by finding possible ways to overcome them. Still, one of the most difficult challenges is getting respondents to answer various research questions. Perhaps my research inquiries typically look deeply into the fundamental causes of water sector challenges. Since my questions attempt to touch the core of issues, it is often tough for individuals to speak up. All of this, however, makes my research incredibly intriguing, with interesting data findings that continue to influence my field of study.
Do you think public engagement with science and data has changed in recent years?
There have been several changes in how research is conducted and measured, especially since the Covid-19 pandemic. I conducted my research interviews during the pandemic using teleconference services such as MS Teams and Zoom. Despite the limited physical human interaction, it proved effective in working from home while getting valuable data from various respondents. The advent of new software and apps has also increased productivity, reduced research expenses and promoted the dissemination of research outputs, which was challenging for early-career researchers like myself.
How do you encourage engagement with your work?
In my publications, I value clear and accessible communication, ensuring that complex research findings are presented comprehensibly through plain English summaries and infographics. I also make my research accessible to a broader audience, including policymakers, practitioners and the general public.
I actively participate in conferences, seminars and public lectures, which allows me to present my research findings to diverse audiences.
Leveraging social media platforms, I share key insights, updates and relevant articles related to my research.
I also actively seek collaborations with other researchers, universities and organisations to broaden the scope of my research and collaborate with media outlets for interviews, articles and press releases to ensure that my research is widely publicised.
By employing these strategies, I try to bridge the gap between academic research and broader societal awareness, fostering a deeper understanding of the importance and implications of my work in the field of water governance and management.
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