PhD Candidates

George Boateng

George Boateng (Ghana) is a Senior Policy Analyst at the African Center for Economic Transformation (ACET) in Accra. His work focuses on development microeconomics, particularly trade and agriculture. He conducts research and policy analysis on value addition, agro-industrialisation and trade, advising African governments and partners on economic transformation strategies.

He is also the Technical Coordinator of ACET’s Green Industrial Transformation Program, overseeing its technical work and coordinating research and policy engagement. Previously, he was a Southern Voices Network for Peacebuilding Scholar at the Wilson Center in Washington, D.C.

He holds a master’s degree in Rural Development and Management (International Development Studies) from China Agricultural University in Beijing and a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Kumasi, Ghana.

His proposed research examines how firm-level capabilities and institutional conditions shape opportunities for Ghanaian cocoa product manufacturers to move into higher-value activities. He focuses on how local chocolate and cocoa-drink producers serving domestic and regional markets develop functions such as branding, design and marketing, within a sector influenced by leading global firms and state control over access to cocoa beans. His research aims to provide systematic firm-level evidence on Ghana’s domestic cocoa product-manufacturing industry, broaden understanding of upgrading beyond buyer-led global value chains, and inform value-addition strategies for policymakers.