From Ghana to global impact: How Prof Joseph Mensah became one of Canada's leading voices on migration, identity, and African development

Professor Joseph Mensah has spent decades answering questions such as: "Who are we? Where do we belong? And how can migration, education, and development transform societies for the better?" He was born and educated in Ghana before advancing his studies in Canada. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree with honours from the University of Ghana before pursuing graduate studies in Canada. He obtained a Master's degree from Wilfrid Laurier University and later completed a PhD at the University of Alberta.

Professor Mensah serves as a Full Professor and Global Geography Program Coordinator at York University in Toronto. His research interests include transnational migration, return migration, ethno-racial identity formation, African development, and social transformation. His research has appeared in journals including Health Economics, Higher Education, Studies in Political Economy, Housing Studies, and Canadian Geographer. He wrote the book *Black Canadians: History, Experience, and Social Conditions*.

At York University, Professor Mensah has held positions including Chair of the Department of Geography, Coordinator of International Development Studies, Deputy Director of the Harriet Tubman Institute for Research on the Global Migrations of African Peoples, and Coordinator of the Global Geography Program. He is a founding member of the University of Ghana's Pan African Doctoral Academy (PADA). PADA is sponsored by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.