Yaw Asamoah Akowuah

Yaw Asamoah Akowuah has a broad and interdisciplinary background in higher education, strategic communication, and community development, with professional experience covering academia, faith-based organizations, and civil society. He is currently a Ph.D. student in Agricultural and Extension Education at Virginia Tech, where he also serves as a Graduate Teaching and Research Assistant in the Department of Agricultural, Leadership and Community Education

MA in Development Communication (M.A.) from the University of Media, Arts and Communication, Ghana, 2023

MPhil in Religious Studies (MPhil) from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana, 2013

BA (Arts) in Religious Studies from the University of Cape Coast, Ghana, 2009

Certificate in Communication for Development and Social Change awarded by Virginia Tech, 2023

Certificate in Communicating Science for Policy awarded by the National Science Policy Network, 2025

Yaw’s research sits at the intersection of agricultural and life sciences communication, community development, faith-based organizations, and social change, with a strong emphasis on participatory, stakeholder-centered, and culturally responsive communication. 

Prior to his doctoral studies, Yaw spent nearly a decade in senior leadership and advisory roles with The Church of Pentecost, one of the largest global Pentecostal faith-based organizations in Ghana, operating in over 190 countries. In these roles, he applied his communication and research expertise to position the organization as a visible and credible actor in social services and community development. He led strategic communication efforts that supported public engagement around initiatives in prison reform, health, education, youth development, and social welfare; developed institutional narratives and media content that boosted organizational legitimacy; and supported stakeholder partnerships that expanded the reach and impact of the church’s development interventions across multiple sectors.

Alongside his institutional roles, Yaw has always remained deeply involved in grassroots community work. He has spearheaded and supported community initiatives focused on reproductive health education, environmental care and sanitation campaigns, youth empowerment, and public awareness programs.

Yaw has a strong teaching and community service background. He has taught at both secondary (high school) and university levels and currently supports undergraduate instruction in agricultural and life sciences communication at Virginia Tech. 

Adusei, F. Y., Akowuah, Y. A., Ackah, F. K., Crowder, L. V., Nyamah, E. Y., & Zahed, M. M. L. (2025). Leveraging social media for eco-education: home gardening for climate resilience and food security. Academia Environmental Sciences and Sustainability, 2(1). https://doi.org/10.20935/AcadEnvSci7601

Adebayo, Bolanle Oyindamola; Akowuah, Yaw; Parrella, Jean A.; Sunderman, Hannah; Kroehler, Carolyn J.; and Raun, Patricia (2025) "Modeling Science Communicator Identity Through the Communication Theory of Identity: A Mixed-Methods Study of Virginia Tech Faculty," Journal of Applied Communications: Vol. 109: Iss. 4.

Adusei, F. Y., Agyemang-Duah, W., Akowuah, Y. A., & Adebayo, B. O. (2026). Cultivating resilience: Localized insights into climate impacts and gendered adaptation strategies in smallholder farming in Ghana. Frontiers in Climate, 7, 1727893. https://doi.org/10.3389/fclim.2025.1727893