Professor Mary Boatemaa Setrana, the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Research Chair on Forced Displacement in Anglophone West Africa, has been appointed Permanent Visiting Professor at MOBILE, the Danish National Research Foundation–funded Centre of Excellence for Global Mobility Law.
The appointment, announced by MOBILE in a media statement, recognises Professor Setrana’s outstanding contributions to migration research, policy development, and capacity building across Africa and beyond. MOBILE noted that it is “excited to welcome her in her new role as Permanent Visiting Professor,” highlighting the value her expertise brings to the Centre’s interdisciplinary work on mobility, law, and social transformation.
Professor Setrana currently serves as Director of the Centre for Migration Studies and Associate Professor of Migration and Social Change at the University of Ghana. As IDRC Research Chair on Forced Displacement in Anglophone West Africa, she provides regional leadership on research addressing forced displacement, governance, climate-related (im)mobilities, and social change.
Her research spans migration governance, forced displacement, gender and labour migration, return migration and reintegration, and climate-induced mobility. She is widely recognised for bridging academic research and policy practice, with sustained engagement at national, regional, and continental levels.
Among her key policy contributions, Professor Setrana has led the development of Botswana’s national migration policy and facilitated the revision of Ghana’s national labour migration policy, while also contributing to the country’s diaspora policy. At the continental level, she has worked closely with the African Union, where she developed gender-responsive labour migration policy modules and practical guidelines for member states and led the evaluation of the AU Migration Policy Framework.
Her international research leadership includes leading and co-leading major projects supported by the European Union, UK Research and Innovation, and United Nations agencies, including the Migration for Development and Equality project and the Resilience Against Climate Change initiative. These projects have contributed to advancing evidence-based and inclusive approaches to migration and displacement governance.
Professor Setrana also serves on several influential academic and advisory platforms. She is a member of the Scientific Committee of the CODESRIA, and an Advisory Board Member of both the ARUA Centre of Excellence on Migration and Mobility and the Centre on Forced Displacement at Boston University.
Alongside her research and policy work, she is deeply committed to mentorship and capacity building, with a strong focus on supporting early-career researchers and students and strengthening African scholarship on migration and forced displacement.
The appointment as Permanent Visiting Professor at MOBILE further strengthens Professor Setrana’s global academic engagement and reinforces the international visibility and impact of the IDRC Research Chair on Forced Displacement in Anglophone West Africa. It also opens new opportunities for collaborative research, teaching, and policy dialogue between African institutions and global centres of excellence working on migration and mobility.
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