Dr. Bernice Wadei is a development researcher and evaluation consultant with extensive experience in gender equality and social inclusion, rural development, programme evaluation, and policy research across Ghana and West Africa. She currently serves as a Research Fellow at the Institute for Rural Development and Innovation Studies (IRDIS), Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Ghana.

Dr. Wadei holds a PhD in Geography and Rural Development with specialization in Gender and Development from KNUST, an MSc in Development Management from the University of Agder, Norway, and a First-Class BA in Geography and Rural Development from KNUST. Her research focuses on gender and sustainable development, women’s economic empowerment, household power dynamics, resource redistribution, rural livelihood sustainability, and the structural barriers that constrain gender justice and inclusive development.

Dr. Wadei has led and supported numerous studies, including baseline studies, needs assessments, mid-term reviews, final evaluations, and impact evaluations for governments, international development organizations, and research institutions. She has contributed to major research and evaluation assignments funded by UNICEF, UNFPA, GIZ, USAID, Catholic Relief Services, Helen Keller International, Co-Water International, ICED, FAO, and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, among others.

Her professional experience includes serving as a Research Scientist (Gender Mainstreaming) and Gender Officer at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Savanna Agricultural Research Institute (CSIR-SARI), where she contributed to gender-responsive agricultural research, policy engagement, and community outreach initiatives. She also co-led the USAID Feed the Future Farmer Field School intervention in Northern Ghana, supporting climate-sensitive agriculture, labour-saving technologies, and improved livelihood outcomes for women farmers. Additionally, she has provided technical expertise to gender-responsive initiatives such as the Time Poverty Project and the African Agricultural Technology Foundation’s Cowpea Project.

Dr. Wadei has extensive experience in community-based development and participatory research. She has facilitated teaching and learning at KNUST’s Departments of Geography and Rural Development and Planning, as well as the Institute of Distance Learning, mentoring students and supporting the next generation of development practitioners and researchers. She has also served as a Co-Principal Investigator on research examining the effects of post-production infrastructure on women’s empowerment and livelihoods in Northern Ghana.

Dr. Wadei brings a distinctive leadership background from her military service. She was commissioned as the Overall Best Naval Officer from the Ghana Military Academy and served as a Supply and Logistics Officer in the Ghana Navy before transitioning into research and academia. This experience strengthened her leadership, discipline, strategic thinking, and organizational management skills, which continue to inform her professional work.

Dr. Wadei’s expertise spans gender mainstreaming, social inclusion, programme evaluation, participatory development, policy analysis, and rural livelihood systems. Her work is driven by a commitment to generating evidence that informs policy, empowers marginalized populations, and promotes equitable and sustainable development outcomes. Her research interests include gender and social norms transformation, women’s economic empowerment, sustainable agriculture, rural livelihoods, community development, and inclusive policy design.