The Legon Centre for Education Research and Policy (LECERP), College of Educantion, recently welcomed Ms. Krystal (Zhongyu) Wang, a DPhil in Education student from the University of Oxford, as a Visiting Doctoral Researcher at the University of Ghana.
Her visit reflects the Centre’s ongoing commitment to advancing impactful research, strengthening international partnerships and contributing to global conversations on higher education. It also aligns with the University of Ghana’s Strategic Plan (2024–2029), particularly its focus on enhancing student experience and promoting high-impact research.
During a brief welcome engagement, Dr. Martin Wiredu Agyekum, Lead for Research at LECERP, received Ms. Wang and introduced her to the Centre’s work. He highlighted its focus on research, training and capacity building and policy advocacy across Africa and beyond. He also reassured her of the Centre’s support throughout her stay, noting that her presence presents a valuable opportunity for collaboration and knowledge exchange.
Ms. Wang expressed her appreciation for the warm reception and shared her enthusiasm about working with researchers at the University of Ghana. She also indicated her interest in gaining deeper insights into Ghana’s higher education landscape. As part of the engagement, she presented her study titled “African Perspectives on China-Africa Higher Education Cooperation: An Institutional Ethnography of African Universities.”
She explained that her research focuses on universities in Ghana and South Africa and explores how China-Africa higher education partnerships are experienced by African academics. Moving beyond common narratives that present such collaborations as either entirely equal or largely dependent, the study examines how African scholars actively shape and influence these partnerships.
Drawing on Institutional Ethnography and Benabdallah’s concept of Relational Productive Power, Ms. Wang noted that her research seeks to provide a more grounded understanding of how knowledge and power are jointly shaped by African and Chinese academics. By placing African scholars at the centre of the analysis, the study highlights their role in shaping institutional practices and relationships within international collaborations.
Her work also extends to understanding Ghana’s broader internationalisation efforts, including the policies and networks that guide engagement with China and other global partners. During her stay, she will conduct in-depth interviews with academics, administrative staff and university leadership to gain a comprehensive view of how such partnerships operate within higher education institutions.
The engagement forms part of the Centre’s wider efforts, under the leadership of Dr Clement Adamba, Director of LECERP, to promote impactful research, strengthen partnerships and support the University of Ghana’s internationalisation agenda.