March 19, 2021

UCalgary Political Science Congratulates: Comfort Kwarteng!

Comfort Kwarteng is a recipient of a 2020–21 Alberta Graduate Excellence Scholarship (AGES) International

Alberta Graduate Excellence Scholarship International Recognizes outstanding academic achievement in graduate studies.

Can you tell us a little about yourself?

I am a Doctoral Candidate and Research and Teaching Assistant at the University of Calgary. My research interests include Public Policy (Health), Comparative Politics, International Relations, African Politics, Migration, and Security. Recently, I co-authored a book chapter, “Public Policy and Migration in Africa: A Multi-Theoretical Approach,” in African Migrants and the Refugee Crisis (Olayiwola Abegunrin and Sabella O. Abidde, eds) (Springer, 2021).

I also like sports so I mostly go to the gym during my leisure hours to play table tennis, soccer, and squash which keep me physically and mentally healthy. Other hobbies include tourism, listening to music, watching movies, and bicycling.

You're working on your dissertation right now—what is your project about?

I am working on my dissertation, Explaining the success in reducing mother-to-child transmission of HIV: A comparative analysis of Ghana and Uganda. The purpose of the project is to gain a greater understanding of the factors that account for success in reducing mother-to-child transmission of HIV and thereby gain theoretical insight into how institutions shape national response in reducing mother-to-child transmission of HIV in developing countries, especially, sub-Saharan Africa.

I recently completed my field research in Uganda and Ghana, respectively. I am currently working on the literature review to acknowledge the existing research on the above topic and how my dissertation can contribute to knowledge on the topic with a focus on Ghana and Uganda.

What are your next steps?

I look forward to presenting at academic conferences, enjoy writing my dissertation, and partake in other extracurricular activities that will further develop my academic and professional skills at the Department of Political Science in particular, and the University of Calgary in general.