Mrs. Amma Birago Kantanka Gyimah, PhD

Dr. Amma Birago Kantanka Gyimah is a Lecturer in the Department of Planning, College of Art and Built Environment (KNUST). She is an academic and practitioner with expertise in climate change, environmental management, gender mainstreaming, and communication/awareness creation strategies, with a strong interdisciplinary focus on linking policy, education, and sustainable development.

Her teaching and research interests cover climate resilience, sustainable planning, environmental governance, and the socio-economic dimensions of development, particularly as they affect women, children, and marginalized groups. As a WASCAL scholar, Dr. Gyimah brings a West African regional perspective to climate change adaptation and resilience, enhancing her ability to connect Ghana’s planning challenges to wider continental and global discourses.

Beyond academia, Dr. Gyimah plays strong managerial and leadership roles. She is a co-opted member of KNUST’s Strategic Planning Committee, the Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ) Coordinator for the Faculty of Built Environment, and the Patroness of the Ghana Association of Student Planners (GASP). She has also been trained as a Master Trainer for Disability Inclusion in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation, advancing the university’s commitment to inclusivity.

Dr. Gyimah has extensive experience in lecturing, training, and facilitation, having worked with universities, NGOs, churches, and local governments in areas spanning leadership, entrepreneurship, gender equity, and sustainable livelihoods. Her commitment to youth development is evident in her mentoring, coaching, and facilitation of student-led initiatives, particularly in the planning profession.

An entrepreneur and social innovator, Dr. Gyimah is the Executive Director of Programs at the Bishop Kantanka Transformation and Leadership Institute and the Founder of GyiKant Consult – Women, Children and Adolescent Development Programme, which delivers gender-sensitive interventions, adolescent grooming, and livelihood support for women, including head porters (kayayei). She also served as the Programme Coordinator of the Methodist Entrepreneurship Development Programme (MEDP), where she designed systems to enhance women’s livelihoods through skills training, financial inclusion, and business development.

She is a member of several professional bodies, including the Ghana Institute of Planning and the Chartered Institute of Leadership and Governance. She sits on boards and committees dedicated to advancing inclusive education, sustainable development, and youth empowerment.

Through her work, Dr. Gyimah embodies the nexus of research, practice, and leadership, driving change in climate resilience, gender empowerment, and planning education in Ghana and beyond.