Academic education:

• Doctor of Philosophy in Geography Political Urbanism and Sustainable Spatial Development, Institute of Geography, University of Bern, Switzerland
• Master of Philosophy in Development Studies Thesis title: Implementation of Urban Infrastructure Projects and the Politics of Forced Eviction in Central Kumasi, Ghana, Supervisor: Prof Clifford Amoako, College of Art and Built Environment, Department of Planning, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana
• Bachelor of Arts Thesis title: Impact of Water Stress on Urban Productivity, A Case Study of Suame Magazine Industrial Area, Supervisor: Prof Jacob Songsore, Department of Geography and Resource Development, University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana

Work experience:

• Lecturer, ‘Feminist Spaces and Politics of Everyday Life’, Fall Semester 2024, University of Bern  
• Supervisor, Research Colloquium Master and Bachelor Thesis, Institute of Geography, University of Bern
• Guest Lecturer 
  • ‘Informality, Public Space and Food Supply’ Brownbag Seminar, Food Systems Economics and Policy, Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH Zurich 
  • ‘The Political Ecology of Informality’, Module - Political Ecology, Institute of Geography, University of Bern
  • ‘Planning Laws and Property Rights in Ghana’, Module - Spatial Planning, Institute of Geography, University of Bern        
• Field Support Staff, National Malaria Control Programme, Kumasi, Ashanti - June 2017 - June 2018
• Biostatistician, Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Kumasi, Ghana - August 2014 - August 2015

Scholarships & awards:

• International Exchange, Silla University, South Korea, Global Korean Scholarship (KGSP)
• Swiss Government Excellence Scholarship, University of Bern, For PhD titled "Planning with Informality: An Institutional Analysis of Public Spaces Governance in Ghanaian Cities"
• Förderung Interdisziplinäre Veranstaltungen (FIV), University of Bern , Funding for interdisciplinary seminar, "Feminist Spaces and the Politics of Everyday Life"
• Postdoc Mobility Fellowship, Swiss National Science Foundation, For Postdoctoral Research stay in the TU Dortmund University, Germany

Language skills: 

• Asante Twi – Native (Speaking, reading and writing)
• English – Native (Speaking, reading and writing)
• French – Advanced (Speaking, reading and writing)
• German – Intermediate (Speaking, reading and writing)
• Korean – Basic (Speaking, reading and writing)

Publications:

• Akuoko, P. B., & Amacker, M. (2024). Informal Women's Work in Public Spaces: Why Should It Matter?. Gender, Work & Organization.
• Akuoko, P. B., & Gerber, J. D. (2025). Neglecting informality?–Rethinking planning in sub-Saharan African cities. Planning Theory, 14730952251376555.
• Akuoko, P. B., Adams, T., & Haller, T. (2025). Balancing customary and statutory governance to sustain informality in Ghana's public spaces. Cities, 165, 106127
• Aggrey, V., Akuoko, P. B., & Amoako-Arhen, A. (2023). Shadow men: The third wheel of public transport in Ghana. Journal of Urban Affairs, 45(3), 353-366.
• Akuoko, P. B., Amoako, C., & Owusu-Ansah, J. K. (2022). Compliance, resistance and innovations: reflections of informal traders’ responses to Kejetia redevelopment in central Kumasi, Ghana. African Geographical Review, 41(4), 452-467.
• Akuoko, P. B., Aggrey, V., & Amoako-Arhen, A. (2021). Ghana’s informal economic sector in the face of a pandemic. Social Sciences & Humanities Open, 3(1), 100094.
• Akuoko, P. B., Aggrey, V., & Mengba, J. D. (2021). Mothering with a career during a pandemic; the case of the Ghanaian woman. Gender, Work & Organization, 28, 277-288.

BLOG POST

• Akuoko, P.B.  & McCluskey, R (2022, June 24). How will the E-levy impact the informal sector in Ghana?. International Centre for Tax and Development. www.ictd.ac/blog/how-e-levy-impact-informal-sector-ghana/