Bessy Ewoenam Odame-Boafo

Bessy provides high-level support for the Enhancing Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (En-WASH) research program activities. Sponsored by USAID, this work aims to increase access to sustainable WASH services in districts across six regions of Ghana. It includes a baseline evaluation using a mixed-methods approach, wherein Bessy oversees qualitative and quantitative data collection while conducting quality control checks. Similarly, she supports stakeholder engagement, field research, and program implementation for an URBAN WASH study supporting the USAID Ghana Mission, the USAID Rural Evidence and Learning for Water (REAL-Water) program, and a REAL-Water study for the Ghana Mission dealing with on-premises service connections.

Prior to joining Aquaya, Bessy worked as a WASH advisor and consultant for the Netherlands Development Organization (SNV). Working on a sustainable sanitation and hygiene program, she led the Nandom District to become the first to attain open-defecation -free status. Bessy also served as an independent consultant for IMC Worldwide (UK), Water and Sanitation for the Urban Poor (WSUP), UNICEF, and HOPin Academy, where she led work on WASH governance and behavior change to ensure scalable and sustainable sanitation and hygiene service delivery. She led and supported baseline, midline, and endline surveys as well as other evaluations.

Bessy holds an MSc in water and environmental management from the Water, Engineering, and Development Centre (WEDC) at Loughborough University (UK). She also holds a BSc in natural resources management from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Ghana, with a specialization in water and fisheries management.