About

Abeeku Essuman-Johnson is an Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Ghana, Legon. He holds a PhD from the University of Ghana for which he wrote a thesis on “The Politics of the African Refugee problem: The Case of Refugees in Ghana” For that thesis he examined the larger issue of the African refugee problem by looking at people who have sought refuge in Ghana. Ghana’s attitude towards refugees was influenced by the lead role played by Ghana’s first president Kwame Nkrumah in the African liberation struggle from her independence in 1957. Nkrumah linked Ghana’s independence to the total liberation of the African continent. For that reason, Ghana attracted African liberation fighters from various countries under colonial rule who were assisted by the Nkrumah government to go back and fight to liberate their countries from colonial rule. Nkrumah began an open-door policy towards refugees and the policy has since been largely followed by succeeding Ghanaian governments. In looking at refugees in Ghana, the thesis examined the presence of refugees from Southern Africa, namely Zimbabwe, Namibia and South Africa who were mainly students in Ghanaian tertiary institutions. They were seeking refuge from Apartheid and minority regimes from Southern Africa from the early 1960s.  The largest refugee group was the Liberians who were seeking refuge from the civil war that engulfed their country from the early 1990s. The thesis examined the cause of their flight, emergency assistance to them and durable solutions to their refugee status.

Education

• PhD - University of Ghana, Ghana
• MA - University of Ghana, Ghana
• Bachelor of Arts - University of Ghana, Ghana

Research Interest

• Organized labor and democratic governance in Africa.
• Democratization and governance in Africa.

Selected Publications

• Essuman-Johnson, A., K. Karikari, K., Ansu-Kyeremeh, K. & A.K. Bonnah Koomson, (2000).  The State of Governance in Ghana in 1999, Report of a National Survey of democratic governance in Ghana under the 1992 constitution, Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA).
• Essuman-Johnson, A. & Smith-Jackson, T.L.  (2002).  “Cultural Ergonomics in Ghana, West Africa: A Descriptive Survey of Industry and Trade Workers’ Interpretations of Safety Symbols”, in International Journal of Occupational Safety and Ergonomics (JOSE) 2002, Vol. 8 No. 1, 37-50.
• Essuman-Johnson, A. & Ansu-Kyeremeh, K. (2002)  “Public Perception of the Ghana Police Service: Report of a National Survey” in The Face and Phases of the Ghana Police, Media Foundation for West Africa.
• Essuman-Johnson, A. (2003) “Ghana’s Policy Towards Refugees since Independence” Ghana Social Science Journal Vol. 2 No. 1 May.
• Essuman-Johnson, A. (2005) “Going Back Home: The Politics of the Repatriation of Liberian and Togolese Refugees in Ghana” Legon Journal of International Affairs (LEJIA) Vol. 1 No.2
• Essuman-Johnson, A. (2005) The Crisis of the State in West Africa: The Crisis of Production, Democracy and National Identity. Codesria Book Series