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A transcontinental master's program across Amsterdam and Ghana

Master of Philosophy (MPhil) in African Culture and Development

In collaboration with

Program Introduction

Start Date: January 2026

The Master of Philosophy (MPhil) in African Culture and Development is a two-year (part-time), cross-continental academic program designed for adult learners eager to challenge dominant knowledge systems and advance culturally grounded development practice.

Whether you are a mid-career professional, early researcher, or lifelong learner, this program provides the intellectual space, supervision, and academic community to deepen your engagement with African-centered development thinking.

Students will:
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The MPhil in African Culture and Development provides a distinctively African perspective on development. The program explores how cultural knowledge and practices shape transformations in key areas such as agriculture, health, education, natural resource management, conflict resolution, and social organization.

Students will engage with development as both a theoretical and practical endeavor, combining classroom learning with fieldwork and research in culturally grounded contexts.

This program is best suited for those aiming to apply their learning in academic institutions, NGOs, cultural sectors, or policy environments.

The program is grounded in a decolonial and Pan-African intellectual tradition. Students examine how colonial legacies continue to influence development thinking, while engaging with African philosophies, indigenous knowledge systems, and endogenous models of change.

This framework challenges Eurocentric paradigms and positions culture not as an accessory to development but as a central scientific field of inquiry.

The MPhil is jointly delivered by the Broos Institute (Amsterdam, NL) and the Millar Institute for Transdisciplinary and Development Studies (Bolgatanga, GH).

This partnership offers a unique transcontinental academic experience:

  • Amsterdam:situating Afrocentric research within European academic debates and institutions.

  • Ghana: immersive fieldwork and community engagement in African cultural contexts.

By moving between these two learning environments, students gain both the critical distance to challenge Eurocentric frameworks and the cultural grounding to practice endogenous development.

Program Aims & Objectives

This program positions culture as a field of science and promotes evidence-based approaches to development. Learning outcomes are guided by Bloom’s taxonomy, ensuring that students remain at the center of knowledge creation.

The aims are to:

  • Foster critical learning that connects cultural knowledge to African development challenges.
  • Equip students with advanced research tools to broaden the definition of science to include culture.
  • Highlight the relevance of African sciences in global academic and policy debates.
  • Develop practical skills for designing culturally grounded strategies in poverty reduction and sustainable development.
  • Language of instruction : English
  • Mode: Modular part-time, covering six (6) trimesters
  • Location : In-person lectures in the Netherlands and Ghana
  • Tuition Fee : €9,000 (€4,500 per academic year)

Course delivery

Learning is structured over six trimesters (two years), combining classroom instruction, independent study, and immersive fieldwork. Students begin in Amsterdam and transition to Ghana for field-based learning before undertaking their thesis. Instruction methods include: lectures, research seminars, presentations, field visits, and supervised thesis writing.

Year one

Term 1 (Jan - Mar)

Term 2 (May - Jul)

T3 (Sep-Nov)

Foundational courses and electives (4) in NL

Foundational courses and electives (4) in NL

Field visit, electives (2) term paper in Ghana

Year Two

T4 (Jan-Mar)

T5 (May-Jul)

T6 (Sep-nov)

Research seminars and presentation of term paper

Independent research and thesis development

Thesis submission and oral defense (Viva)

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6 trimesters, modular
full-time

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term paper preparation &
submission

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independent thesis research
project

Is This Program Right for You?

  • The MPhil in African Culture and Development is designed for ambitious learners who want to advance their expertise in Afrocentric scholarship and African Studies.

    The program particularly suits individuals who:
  • Are motivated by Pan-African and decolonial approaches to education.
  • Wish to explore how African philosophies, and indigenous knowledge systems shape development.
  • Enjoy research, critical reading, and advanced academic writing.
  • Seek to conduct original field-based research in both Africa and Europe.
  • Aspire to contribute as independent scholars in African Studies and global development debates.
  • Have the ambition to become an independent researcher.
  • Inspired by what you’ve read? Start your application now.
Apply today

Admission Requirements

Applicants must hold a bachelor’s degree with at least a second class lower (or Dutch equivalent of 6/10) and strong English skills.

If the prior degree was not taught in English,TOEFL, IELTS, or equivalent proof of proficiency is required.

Application Process

Applicants are required to apply to the program via the Broos Institute website and submit the following:

  • ✔ An application form
  • ✔ Two academic references
  • ✔ Proof of linguistic proficiency (if applicable)

Questions about applying? Visit our contact page - our admissions team is here to support you through every step of the enrollment process.

Faculty & Lecturers

Explore the educators, researchers, and support staff who guide student success, drive innovation, and keep our university community thriving.
Mr. Marvin Hokstam Baapoure
Mr. Marvin Hokstam Baapoure worked for The Daily Herald and Today Newspaper as editor, and as regional correspondent for several regional and international news media, winning several journalism awards along the way.
Prof. Frederick Dayour is an Associate Professor at the Department of Hospitality and Tourism Management, School of Business, Simon Diedong Dombo University of Business and Integrated Development Studies, in Ghana.
He earned his BSc and MPhil in Tourism Management at the University of Cape Coast and his PhD in Tourism and Hospitality at the University of Surrey, UK, where he also became a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. He is a Senior Research Associate at the School of Tourism and Hospitality, University of Johannesburg, South Africa. His research focuses on tourism management, destination development, and community participation.
  • Associate Professor, Hospitality and Tourism Management, University for Development Studies
  • Research areas: tourism management, destination development, community participation
  • Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA)
  • PhD in Hospitality and Tourism Management, University of Surrey, UK (2015–2018)
  • Postgraduate Certificate in Learning and Teaching (Fellow of the Higher Education Academy), University of Surrey, UK (2016–2018)
  • MPhil in Tourism Management, University of Cape Coast, Ghana (2010–2012)
  • BSc in Tourism Management, University of Cape Coast, Ghana (2005–2009)
  • Contributor to tourism policy development in Ghana
  • Active in international tourism research networks
Prof. Francis Kwabena Obeng, born in 1960 in Mampong Ashanti, Ghana, is a scholar in agricultural extension, participatory approaches, and rural development.
He studied at the University of Cape Coast and the University of Amsterdam, where he earned his PhD. He has held leadership roles including Head of the Department of Agricultural Extension and Vice Dean of the Faculty of Agribusiness and Communication Sciences at the University for Development Studies.
  • Vice Dean, Faculty of Agribusiness and Communication Sciences, University for Development Studies
  • Head, Department of Agricultural Extension, Rural Development and Gender Studies
  • Research areas: participatory extension, climate change, and rural development
  • PhD in Social and Behavioural Sciences, University of Amsterdam, Netherlands (2001–2005)
  • MPhil in Agricultural Extension, University of Cape Coast, Ghana (1995–1997)
  • BSc (Hons) Agriculture and Diploma in Education, University of Cape Coast, Ghana (1985–1989)
  • Senior Lecturer and consultant in agricultural extension
  • Advisor to community-based development programs
Prof. Anatoli Ignatov is an Associate Professor in the Department of Sustainable Development at Appalachian State University, USA.
He holds a PhD in Political Science from Johns Hopkins University and degrees in political science, sociology, and anthropology. His teaching and research focus on political ecology, global development, and sustainability.
  • Assistant Professor, Department of Sustainable Development, Appalachian State University
  • Research areas: political ecology, global development, sustainability
  • Ph.D., Political Science, Johns Hopkins University, August 2014
  • B.A., Political Science (Summa Cum Laude), San Francisco State University, January 2007
  • A.A. Political Science, A.A. Sociology, A.A. Anthropology, Contra Costa College, May 2004
  • English and American Studies, Sofia University, 1997-2001
  • Postdoctoral Scholar, University of South Florida (2014–2015)
Prof. Dominic Alimbey Dery is a Senior Lecturer of Culture and Development Studies with expertise in cultural education and social transformation in Ghana.
He holds degrees in English, Classics, Human Resource Development, and a PhD in Culture and Development Studies from the University for Development Studies.
  • Associate Professor, Culture and Development Studies
  • Research areas: cultural development, human resource development, education
  • Doctor of Philosophy in Culture and Development Studies University for Development Studies (UDS)/Millar Transdisciplinary Institute. November, 2018.
  • Master Arts (MA) Degree in Human Resource Development. University of Cape Coast, Center for Development Studies (CDS), Cape Coast, June, 2005- July, 2007.
  • Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) Hons. Degree in English Language and Classics. University of Cape Coast (UCC), Cape Coast, October, 1993- August, 1998.
  • Diploma in Education (Dip ED). University of Cape Coast (UCC) October 1994-June 1996.
  • Senior Lecturer, Department of Languages and Liberal Studies, Tamale Technical University
Prof. Samuel Z. Bonye, born in 1971, is an Senior Lecturer at the University for Development Studies in Wa, Ghana, where he leads the Department of Community Development.
His work focuses on participatory planning, governance, and community empowerment.
  • Senior Lecturer, Department of Community Development, UDS, Wa 
  • Research areas: participatory development, governance, community empowerment
  • PhD Candidate, University for Development Studies, Tamale, Ghana (2010)
  • MPhil Development Studies, University for Development Studies, Tamale, Ghana (2007)
  • Head of Department of Community Development, UDS (since 2013)
Prof. Chaka A. Uzondu is an Associate Professor and international development specialist with experience in Africa and North America.
He has held senior roles at WaterAid Ghana, where he led advocacy, campaigns, and policy in water, sanitation, hygiene, and health. His expertise includes human rights-based approaches, climate change, and organizational development.
  • Associate Professor and Senior Executive in International Development
  • Research areas: human rights-based approaches, climate change, advocacy
  • Policy Manager, WaterAid Ghana (2012–2019)
  • Acting Head of Policy, Advocacy and Campaigns, WaterAid Ghana
  • Based in Accra, Ghana
Prof. Mamudu Abunga Akudugu is a full Professor and Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for Interdisciplinary Research and Consultancy Services at the university for Development Studies.
He holds a PhD in Livelihoods and International Rural Development, an MPhil in Agricultural Economics, and a BSc in Agriculture Technology.
  • Full Professor and Senior Research Fellow, IIRaCS, UDS
  • Research areas: livelihoods, rural development, agricultural economics
  • PhD in International and Rural Development (focus on Livelihoods), University of Reading, UK (2014)
  • MPhil in Agricultural Economics, University of Ghana (2009)
  • BSc in Agricultural Economics and Extension, with Agriculture Technology, University for Development Studies, Ghana (2005)
  • Head, University Consultancy Services Unit, UDS
  • Consultant to national and international organizations including FAO (UN)
Dr. Abazaami Joseph, born in 1978, is a Senior Research Fellow at the University for Development Studies in Navrongo, Ghana.
He specializes in development planning and has consulted for organizations such as UNICEF, CARE International, ActionAid, and the World Bank on issues including climate change, biodiversity, and poverty reduction.
  • Senior Research Fellow, University for Development Studies, Navrongo
  • Research areas: development planning, climate change adaptation, sustainable development
  • Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Development Planning and Management (Spatial Planning), 2011.
  • Master of Science Degree in Development Planning and Management, 2005.
  • Bachelor of Arts Degree in Geography and Resource Development (First Class Honours) 2002.
  • S.S.S.C.E. Certificate – 1996
  • B.E.C.E.Certificate – 1993
  • Consultant for UNICEF, CARE International, ActionAid, and the World Bank
Prof. David Millar, born in 1956 in Bolgatanga, is a Ghanaian scholar and development practitioner with decades of experience in agricultural and environmental sciences.
He studied at the University of Ghana and Wageningen Agricultural University, where he earned an MSc and PhD. He has served as Acting Pro-Vice Chancellor and Council Member at the University for Development Studies.
  • Full Professor of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
  • Research areas: indigenous knowledge, sustainable development, agricultural innovation
  • B.Sc. (Hons) Animal Science, second class Upper Division, University of Ghana, Legon; July 1979.
  • Post-Graduate Certificate; Rural Extension (ICRE), International Agricultural Centre, The Netherlands (1981).
  • Post-Graduate Certificate; Farming Systems Research (ICRA), International Agricultural Centre, The Netherlands (1983).
  • M.Sc. (Management of Agricultural Knowledge Systems), Wageningen Agricultural University, the Netherlands, September 1992.
  • Ph.D. (Agricultural and Environmental Sciences) Wageningen Agricultural University, the Netherlands, May 1996.
  • Acting Pro-Vice Chancellor, University for Development Studies (2007)
  • Council Member, University for Development Studies (2007)
  • International research collaborations on indigenous knowledge and sustainability

Requirements for Graduation

To complete the program, students must achieve a total of 61 credit hours (122 ECTS), which include coursework, seminar presentations, a term paper, and a thesis.

Credit hours vs. ECTS

For international students, it’s helpful to understand how workload is calculated under the Ghanaian university credit system. 

At MITDS, one credit hour equals two ECTS, and each ECTS represents about 40 hours of study, including lectures, homework, and preparation.

Assessment Regulations

Students enrolled in the Master’s program must achieve a minimum of 60% in all taught courses. The thesis will be assessed within three months of submission by internal and external examiners, with final performance confirmed by the Graduate Board. Successful candidates are awarded the Master’s degree.

Course Guide

Get the full Master’s curriculum, course modules, tuition fee structure and program details in one place.

Download full guide
Our Partner Institute

The program is delivered in partnership with Ghana’s Millar Institute (MITDS), renowned for Afrocentric research.

Learn More About MITDS
Our Agenda

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