Obaa Akua Konadu, from Ghana, is pursuing her doctorate in Business Administration and Management at the University of Stellenbosch Business School. She hails from Ghana’s gold mining region. As a youngster, she observed that young men preferred artisanal mining to education and young women were expected to play traditional roles. That profoundly influenced her career choices and her research interest in women’s engagement in the labor market.
Her PhD thesis examines how women advance their careers in male-dominated professions and the obstacles they face. She hopes to use this research to inform policy and improve working conditions and prospects for women’s upward mobility, in Africa, and the wider Global South. After finishing her PhD, she plans to undertake research and promote policies to help women employed in areas like mining, logistics, and engineering, and expand the roles women can play in these industries. Through her research, she aims to advocate for changing laws and social attitudes regarding sexual harassment and violence against women and girls, as well as equality in pay, participation in decision-making, and sharing of unpaid care and domestic work.
She has built an extensive African and international network through her youth and advocacy volunteer work, including serving as a member of the Generation Equality Youth Task Force, the Global Shapers Community, the Young African Leaders Initiative and the Cowry Network.
