Biography
Zayan received his bachelor’s degree in Sociology from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Ghana in 2016, and in 2018, an MPhil in Development Studies from the Centre of Development Studies, University of Cambridge. His research interests are centered around criminal justice systems and transparency reforms, particularly anti-corruption reforms and their nexus with accountability and political stability.
Before his MPhil, Zayan worked with the Attorney General’s Department and Ministry of Justice in Ghana where he supported with legal research and studies by the Ministry on interagency collaboration. Between 2018 and 2021, He served as a Senior Project Officer with the consulting firm Participatory Development Associates (PDA) Ghana, where he led the Advocacy and Communications Team on a wide range of projects including the Public Sector Watch Initiative and Strengthening Community-Based School Governance Project. He also co-led the Mastercard Foundation’s (MCF) Safeguarding Support project and put together the communication strategy for the MCF Impact Partner Project. Zayan is co-editor of the maiden Report on the State of Child Protection in Ghana, and former convenor of the Knowledge Sharing Workshop on Child Protection in Ghana. He has also served as a project consultant for organizations including Action Aid Ghana, Jacob West Ghana Ltd and the Hacklab Foundation.
Research
Zayan’s doctoral research aims to understand how anticorruption reforms are institutionalized, and the factors that facilitate or impede the effective functioning of these institutions. The study focuses specifically on specialized anti-corruption agencies (ACAs) and transparency reforms such as right to information laws. It will assess the impact of power on how the institutions emerge, and then on how they are enforced. Situated at the intersection of governance reform, criminology and institutional studies, the study aims to address theoretical and geographical gaps in the anticorruption literature while exploring entry points for sustainable and effective long term governance reforms.
Publications
Odijie, M. E., & Imoro, M. Z. (2021). Ghana’s Competitive Clientelism and Space for Long-Term Stable Policies. SAGE Open, 11(3), 215824402110315. https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440211031513
Imoro, M. Z. & Sefa-Nyarko, C. (2020) ‘Child Protection in Schools; An assessment of public basic schools in the Greater Accra Region’ in Frimpong-Manso, K. & Imoro, M. Z. (2020) ‘The State of Child Protection in Ghana.’ Participatory Development Associates Publication.
Frimpong-Manso, K. & Imoro, M. Z. (2020) ‘The State of Child Protection in Ghana.’ Participatory Development Associates Publication.
