ZMT Alumnus and Ambassador:

Godfred Ameyaw Asiedu, Ghana

Godfred Ameyaw Asiedu

What was your position at ZMT?

I got involved with ZMT through the ISATEC course working on the role of Chironomid larvae (Diptera) in the regeneration of nitrogen in freshwater sediments. One of the most notable memories during my time in Germany was the 2-week period we spent at the biological station on the island of Helgoland where we did some field research along the coast, looking at different species forming the community in the intertidal zone. This was in March and it was still very cold – especially when one is not used to that sort of weather. However, I was well-compensated! At that time, birds which had spent the peak of winter outside the country had just started to arrive, and there were hundreds of them flying around in the area where we worked. This was a great experience – apart from having to work in the cold…

How did you benefit from your time at ZMT?

All the positions I have held were largely based on my training at the ZMT in the areas of fisheries biology and ecology, tropical fisheries and catching methods as well as aquaculture and its physiological basis. I also still keep in contact with a lot of the other alumni I met during my time in Germany more especially with the other Ghanaian alumni who are now working in Ghanaian public universities as lecturers and also a few ZMT members of staff including Marion Glaser and Werner Ekau.

What happened since you left the institute?

Since I left ZMT, I worked for the Ghana Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development as a Fisheries Officer, the USAID/Ghana Integrated Coastal and Fisheries Governance Project for Ghana as a Research, Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist, and for WorldFish in Ghana as a Coastal Fisheries Advisor. Currently I work at the University of Cape Coast in Ghana as a Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist on the USAID/UCC Fisheries and Coastal Management Capacity Building Support Project. My main role is to monitor the progress of all project activities for reporting to UCC authorities and USAID. I am currently finishing my PhD in fisheries management at the Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources and Security, University of Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia.