New Patriotic Party General Secretary hopeful, Henry Kwabena Kokofu, says his long list of academic qualifications is driven by a simple personal routine: reading, learning, and constantly searching for knowledge.
Appearing on Good Afternoon Ghana on Metro TV on Monday, March 9, Dr. Kokofu spoke about his academic journey after Kwasi Afriyie displayed a profile showing his numerous degrees and professional certifications.
The profile listed several qualifications including a PhD in Environmental Science, a Doctor of Laws (LLD), an LLM in Oil and Gas Law, and an ongoing LLM in National Security Law and Practice, among others.
Asked why he keeps pursuing more academic programmes, Dr. Kokofu said studying has become a natural part of his life.
“Well I have two hobbies,” he said. “One is reading and learning, and the other is sleeping. So if in my leisure times I’m not reading then I must be sleeping, and you know you cannot be sleeping all day long, so you must find a way to read and learn.”
He explained that many of his academic pursuits are connected to professional experiences he gained while travelling for conferences and international engagements.
Kwabena Kokofu said his previous role, which allowed him to participate in global climate discussions under the United Nations climate framework, exposed him to new research areas and ideas.
“Each one of them gave me an idea to further research into,” he said. “And as I do, I normally want to put it in the academic framework.”
He added that turning practical experiences into academic research helps expand knowledge and allows him to contribute to scholarly work.
Currently, Dr. Kokofu teaches Environmental Law and Policy as a part-time lecturer at the University of Ghana.
“Any time I engage my students, fresh ideas come,” he said. “I just prefer some form of an investigative topic that can be investigated, and once I sit there I say, why don’t I go ahead and do the investigations myself.”
Despite the many qualifications he has acquired, Dr. Kokofu said academic titles alone are not enough.
“You can acquire all these letters and everything,” he noted, “but if you are not endowed with indigenous knowledge, if you don’t apply wisdom together with this book knowledge, it becomes irrelevant.”
He explained that his work cuts across four main areas: legal practice, natural resource management, environmental and climate change work, and security and intelligence.
“These are four key areas that I operate from,” he said.
During the conversation, Dr. Kokofu also spoke about how education plays a central role in his family life. He said most of his children are pursuing professional and academic careers in fields such as medicine, economics, biochemistry, pharmacy and law.
“You have no option than to study in that setup,” he said with a smile, explaining that the environment at home naturally encourages academic achievement.
Source: metrotvonline.com
