Saints Spotlight: Dr Ifesinachi Okafor-Yarwood
Dr Ifesinachi Okafor-Yarwood is a lecturer in the School of Geography and Sustainable Development at St Andrews and a leading expert in sustainable development from the perspective of oceans governance and maritime security. She is a consultant, PEW Marine Fellow, a 2023 Conversation Africa Science Communication Award winner and was recognised as one of 50 people to have influenced Africa’s Blue Economy in 2023-2024.
How did your St Andrews story start?
Before joining St Andrews, I consulted for an American-based NGO, One Earth Future. My role involved leading the first-ever comprehensive research on Maritime Governance and Security Issues in the Gulf of Guinea titled Stable Seas: Gulf of Guinea. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime’s Global Maritime Crime Programme supported the project. I also had an offer of a full-time job with the organisation and was preparing to join them in the United States when I saw a one-year position advertised in the School of Geography and Sustainable Development at St Andrews.
I applied and was invited for an interview. On my way home I was offered the job. I was so excited. However, after reflecting with my husband and speaking with my mentor, I decided to turn it down. It didn’t make sense to move to Scotland just for a year.
A couple of months later, I was in Cameroon doing fieldwork as part of my consultancy role for One Earth Future when I got an email explaining that the School now had three permanent positions available and that I should consider applying. I did, and ultimately, I moved to Scotland and started my role as a lecturer in Sustainable Futures in May 2020, the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.
What are your current priorities in your role at the University?
My role involves researching and teaching sustainable development from the perspective of oceans governance, environmental justice and maritime security. My regional focus is on coastal and small island developing states (SIDs) in Africa, particularly those in the Gulf of Guinea region. That’s very much a priority for me.
In addition to research and teaching, I’ve been the academic adviser at sub-honours level for the past four years (I’m stepping back from that role this year), I coordinate and teach modules in Sustainable Development, and Blue Economy and Maritime Security, and co-teach on others.
I’m also currently supervising two PhD students. Supporting student learning and research skill development is a passion of mine, which is why I participate in the St Andrews StARIS (St Andrews Research Internship Scheme) programme. Some of the students I work with on this programme have co-authored research publications with me; two pieces of research have already been published and one is under consideration.
I have also held various service roles and am currently a member of the University’s Sustainability Advisory Board and part of the Sustainable Research and Innovation Practice Working Group.
What is the focus of your research at St Andrews?
As a researcher, I explore the relationship between deprivation, depletion of ocean resources, and criminality at sea, focusing on environmental justice and the gendered aspect of these issues.
I have also consulted for regional and international organisations. One of the research projects I co-authored as a consultant for the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime Global Maritime Crime, Pirates of the Gulf of Guinea, was cited by the United Nations Security Council in adopting Resolution 2634 (2022) on Piracy and Armed Robbery at Sea in the Gulf of Guinea.
Since 2023 I have served as a Women’s Peace and Security (WPS) Advisor on Maritime Security for the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime Global Maritime Crime Programme, West Africa, under a Danish government-funded project.
I am also a Pew Marine Fellow, which is a prestigious fellowship awarded to scholars making significant contributions to our understanding of the oceans.
My Pew project explores the gendered impact of marine conservation efforts, especially during the closed fishing season, and what lessons we can learn from historical ecological knowledge with the view of integrating local and indigenous knowledge with scientific knowledge for equitable fisheries livelihood. One of my PhD students’ research projects is based on this work, and we are collaborating with local organisations and agencies in Ghana, with fishers there included in the field research team.
I am passionate about using my research to engage with policymakers and practitioners, believing that research must be communicated effectively to have an impact.
Tell us about your proudest achievement.
My proudest achievement will have to be my children. They keep me motivated and fired up. I remember the many times I have been away from them due to my work and other engagements and just hearing ‘it’s okay, we understand’ from my eight-year-old melts my heart. Knowing that they are my biggest cheerleaders is, no doubt, my proudest achievement.
Being invited to brief the UN Peacebuilding Commission in May 2023 on maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea also made me feel honoured. It is something that I cherish as it made me feel that there is a recognition of the need to address the root causes of insecurity in the region.
Where is your favourite spot in St Andrews?
Like most people, I like walks along the coast, but the chapel at St James’ Catholic Church on The Scores is one of my favourite spots. The serenity of being in that space reminds me of being in the chapel of my local parish back home in Nigeria.