UG-Based IDRC Research Chair Advances Forced Displacement Research with Liberia Field Study
The UG-based International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Research Chair on Forced Displacement in Anglophone West Africa, hosted at the Centre for Migration Studies, has taken further steps to strengthen regional research on forced displacement through a field data collection exercise in Liberia.
The Liberia study, conducted in November 2025, forms part of the Chair’s multi-country research agenda examining climate-related displacement and urban vulnerability in Anglophone West Africa. Data were collected across five displacement-affected communities, Bernard Farm, Doe Estates, FDA Junction, Mt. Barclay and Dour Town.
The IDRC Chair project is led by Mary Boatemaa Setrana, Associate Professor at the University of Ghana and Director of the Centre for Migration Studies. According to Professor Setrana, the Liberia exercise was undertaken in line with the mandate of the IDRC Research Chair, which aims to generate rigorous, context-specific evidence to inform understanding of forced displacement in the sub-region.
The Liberia data collection follows earlier research exercises carried out in Ghana, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone, contributing to the Chair’s comparative regional analysis. The study engaged 250 internally displaced persons using a mixed-methods approach, including household interviews, key informant discussions, transect walks, direct observation, and photo documentation.
Field activities were coordinated by IDRC Research Chair Scholar, Ms. Gifty S. Amponsah, and Mr. Emmanuel Yakass, who led the organisation and supervision of the fieldwork.
The research team received support from local institutions in Liberia, including the Liberia Refugee Repatriation and Resettlement Commission, to facilitate community engagement and ensure a localised and context-responsive data collection process.
The Liberia field exercise enhances the University of Ghana’s research drive and advances the mandate of the IDRC-endowed Research Chair, reinforcing the University’s role in producing policy-relevant knowledge on forced displacement, climate change and mobility in Anglophone West Africa.