AINAS

African Initiative for
Nature-Based Solutions

Dr. Caleb Melenya Ocansey Background

Dr. Caleb Melenya Ocansey

Founder & President

Dr. Caleb Melenya Ocansey

Dr. Caleb Melenya Ocansey

Founder & President @AINAS

Dr. Caleb Melenya Ocansey is an ecosystem monitoring expert dedicated to advancing agricultural and environmental sciences, with a wealth of experience in teaching, research, and enhancing international collaborations. His expertise spans a spectrum of disciplines, including near real-time ecosystem monitoring, tree crops, vegetation dynamics, soil information, soil organic matter dynamics, climate change, agroforestry, and land reclamation. He is deeply involved in long-term ecosystem research across Africa and Europe, and the establishment of monitoring networks to promote sustainable land-use practices.

Dr. Ocansey holds a Ph.D. in Soil Science from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) (2020), completed through a Ph.D. Studentship with the Soils of Forest Islands in Africa Consortium-Imperial College London, UK (2015-2020). He also earned an M.Sc. in Soil Science from KNUST (2014) and a B.Sc. in Agriculture from KNUST (2010).

Currently serving as a Research Scientist at CSIR – Crop Research Institute in Kumasi, Ghana, Dr. Ocansey is passionate about addressing societal disparities with a particular focus on understanding the impact of his research on livelihoods, gender dynamics, and marginalized communities. He is the founder of the African Initiative for Nature-Based Solutions (AINAS), which employs both conventional and advanced methods to monitor and solve rural and urban communities' challenges relating to ecosystem health, sustainable agriculture, energy use, livelihood development, and green infrastructure.

Dr. Ocansey holds several key leadership positions, including Member of the Hungarian Doctoral Council at the Institute of Environmental Sciences, Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences (MATE), Climate Expert at the Responsible Artificial Intelligence Lab (RAIL) at KNUST, and Co-Chair of the International Soil Judging Working Group for Communications at the International Union of Soil Sciences (IUSS). He also serves as Associate Editor and Founding Board Member of Advances in Plant Science, PeerJ journal.

His research contributions span multiple international projects, including the European Joint Programme - Soil, C-arounNd Project, H2020 Soil4Africa, and LEAP4FNSSA projects. Dr. Ocansey is actively involved in major initiatives such as Rubber productivity and climate resilience in Ghana through partnerships with CSIR, Ghana Tree Crops Development Authority (TCDA), and the World Bank (2023-2029).

Promoting positive change through interdisciplinary collaboration drives his work as he seeks to explore innovative solutions to global challenges in food security and environmental sustainability.

For more information about Dr. Ocansey's research and publications, visit his Google Scholar profile.