The School of Graduate Studies (SGS), University of Ghana, is proud to announce the appointment of its Dean, Professor Robert Darko Osei, to the Standing Panel on Impact Assessment (SPIA) of the CGIAR's Independent Advisory and Evaluation Service (IAES). This international recognition highlights Prof. Osei’s long-standing contributions to research, policy evaluation, and development economics, as well as his growing influence in shaping global conversations on impact assessment and development effectiveness.
The SPIA, hosted under the CGIAR umbrella, plays a strategic role in advancing the credibility and utility of impact assessments across CGIAR’s global agricultural and development research initiatives. It serves as an independent body of eminent experts that advises on methodological standards, promotes evidence-based decision-making, and supports institutional learning within CGIAR and among its development partners. Prof. Osei joins an illustrious panel of internationally recognised scholars and practitioners dedicated to strengthening the scientific foundations of impact evaluation in agriculture, food systems, and rural development.
As a renowned Policy and Development Research expert, Prof. Osei is widely respected for his academic rigor and understanding of Africa’s development landscape. His research spans a broad range of issues, including poverty dynamics, inequality, taxation, and public policy, with a consistent focus on how evidence can be used to shape better outcomes for vulnerable populations. As Dean of SGS and a faculty member at the Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research (ISSER), College of Humanities, University of Ghana, he has spearheaded numerous research initiatives and mentored a generation of scholars in impact evaluation methods and applied development economics.
His appointment to the SPIA is both timely and significant, as global development institutions increasingly prioritise evidence-based programming and demand robust evaluative mechanisms to demonstrate impact. Prof. Osei’s extensive experience, positions him not only as a vital contributor to SPIA’s work on methodological innovation and policy relevance but also a major boost for Ghana’s research community and a testament to the University of Ghana’s growing reputation as a hub for world-class scholarship.
By contributing to this Panel, he influences how development impacts are assessed globally and reinforces the importance of African expertise in the global decision-making spaces. We wish Prof. Robert Darko Osei a successful tenure on SPIA.