DORIS ANABEL SAFOWA

Second cohort of the African Fellowships for Research in Indigenous and Alternative Knowledges / Deuxième cohorte du programme de Bourses africaines pour la recherche sur les savoirs autochtones et alternatifs (AFRIAK) .

Affliation: Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology
Institute of African Women in Law (IAWL)

Discipline: Language, Culture, and Community Knowledge Systems

Country / Pays: Ghana

Project Title / Titre du projet: Historical Roles of Women in Traditional Conflict Resolution in Ghana: An Afrocentric and Indigenous-Centred Exploration

Biographie / Biography: I am a member of the Oyoko royal family of the Gomoa Dominase traditional area in Ghana’s Central Region and a first-generation law student at Ghana school of Law and prospective lawyer in my family and community.
I am a research assistant at the English department, KNUST.
I am also affiliated with the Institute of African Women in Law (IAWL), a network of women legal professionals across Africa and the Diaspora committed to using law for social transformation, and the Federation of African Law Students (FALAS), the continental umbrella body for law students in Africa.
I currently work as a Research Assistant at the main campus of the Language Department at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, where I support teaching, student research, and departmental projects. This role continues to shape my academic interests in language, culture, and community knowledge systems.
Beyond the university, I serve as Head of Women and Legal Affairs in my traditional area. I work closely with women, families, and traditional authorities on issues ranging from inheritance and marital disputes to questions of rights and social welfare. I also serve as Head of Community Conflict Resolution, where I facilitate mediation in land disputes, boundary disagreements, and other community conflicts, prioritising dialogue and restorative outcomes over adversarial approaches.
In addition, I am part of the legal team at Hubtel Ghana, an e-commerce company in Ghana, where I contribute to contract review, compliance, and internal legal processes in a paid capacity.