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Nuffield DPhil in Politics Ebenezer Agetiba, has been awarded the first Africa Oxford Initiative (AfOx) - Simon and Desiree Chuinkam scholarship.

The scholarship is part of a three-way funded partnership between the Department of Politics and International Relations (DPIR), AfOx and Nuffield College. AfOx is a cross-university platform that aims to increase the number of African students taking postgraduate degrees at Oxford.

Over the coming years as a DPhil candidate in Politics, Ebenezer will be researching a vital but rarely studied topic: the political representation of disabled people in Sub-Saharan Africa.

He will investigate the descriptive political presence of disabled representatives in the legislatures in the region, offer a political economy explanation to their underrepresentation and investigate how governments are responsive to the policy interests of disabled citizens in the region. He will also suggest theoretically informed recommendations to improve both the descriptive and substantive representation of disabled people in the region.

Ebenezer was also awarded a scholarship from AfOx for the MPhil in Comparative Government, which he completed in June 2026. Before joining the University of Oxford, he earned a degree in Political Science and Philosophy from the University of Ghana where he received the Vice-Chancellor’s Academic Award in recognition of being the best graduating student with a visual impairment.

Committed to the transformative impact of mentorship, Ebenezer has volunteered extensively to support students—particularly those with disabilities—by providing academic coaching, tutoring, and guidance to help them achieve their educational aspirations.

Speaking on his latest scholarship, he said: 

“I am truly and deeply delighted to be awarded the AfOx/DPIR/Nuffield DPhil scholarship for my doctoral study. 

“This milestone, made possible by this scholarship, is deeply meaningful to me. Growing up in a rural, village (Wiig), situated somewhere in the Upper East region in northern Ghana, in a limited resource setting, and as a visually impaired person, I could scarcely have imagined that I would one day be a doctoral student at Oxford! 

“The journey has so far begun on a positive note. I cannot say there are no challenges. Certainly, there are, but the challenges cannot be constraints. Both DPIR and Nuffield College have been supportive, and I hope to thrive in this supportive environment to produce not only an intellectually rich thesis but also a thesis with immense substantive significance.

"Through research, anti-development beliefs can be refuted and more progressive ones proposed. The situation for disabled people in Ghana and by large, Sub-Saharan African region is quite bad in part, due to anti-development traditional beliefs. I believe, so strongly that through research these beliefs can be refuted and the situation enhanced. It is for this reason that my lifelong academic commitment is to study disability-related issues. I may not be able to completely change the status quo, but I hope to make a meaningful impact through my academic work and advocacy.

"I am forever grateful to AfOx, DPIR, Nuffield College and also, to Professor Robin Harding.”

Professor Kevin Marsh, Director of AfOx, said: 

“AfOx’s mission is to support talented African students to undertake postgraduate studies at the University of Oxford. In 2022 we supported Ebenezer through the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program. It is exciting to see how he has continued his research to understand the social and economic barriers to political representation faced by individuals with disabilities in Ghana. 

“We are absolutely delighted that Ebenezer has been awarded a joint scholarship from Nuffield College, AfOx and the Department of Politics and International Relations (DPIR) and can continue this important and impactful work.”

This article was first published on the Department of Politics and International Relations news pages.