Paul B Akaabre

Paul is a UBC Graduate Student Ambassador and PhD. Student. He has a B.Sc. Planning from the University for Development Studies and an M.Phil. Planning from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana. Prior to his UBC journey, he was an instructor at the Department of Planning of the University for Development Studies and a scholar of the Network of Excellence on Land Governance in Africa (NELGA)- established by the African Land Policy Centre (ALPC) in cooperation with Germany (DAAD, BMZ & GIZ), World Bank, African Union and other partners to strengthen land governance and policies in Africa. His training and/or scholarship is situated in Development Planning and Management, with particular interest in: 1. Land-Use Planning, Land Governance and Property Rights (i.e., the Property Market); 2. Green Infrastructural Planning (Carbon-zero Housing, Transport, Energy, Industrialization etc); 3. Project Planning & Management (Appraisal, Design, Monitoring and Evaluation); 4. Urban Planning and Sustainable Cities (Smart, Vertical, Global, Informal and Eco Cities); 5. Urban Inequality and Spatial Justice (including Urban Poverty, Livelihood and Food Security); and 6. Climate Planning and Disaster Management; among others. He believes that tenure security is an essential element in building community resilience and addressing urban inequalities. If the governing structure is potent and people enjoy secure land tenure and property rights, they are more likely to plan ahead and invest in housing and resilience measures. Hence, his doctoral dissertation aims to strengthen urban land governance, tenure security and property rights by examining how land title structures in the urban area, particularly leasehold tenure and practices, influence housing in terms of supply, affordability and the potential for redevelopment.