Dr (Mrs) Badu Mercy
Country (Nationality)
Ghana
Grantee Title
Areas of research interest: Natural products chemistry
Grantee Description
Home Institution Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana
Host Institution Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria
Summary of research
Oilseeds and nuts have been reported in recent times as the leading supplier of superior quality and specialty vegetable oils as a result of their nutritional and medicinal properties. They have high oil content, which ranges from 20-70 % of the total weight of the seed.
This project seeks to take inventory of the different species of drought-resistant oilseed bearing plants found in the northern savannah zone of Ghana and Nigeria. These plants consistently grow under high drought conditions within the savannah zone. The plants have adapted to the harsh climatic conditions and may withstand the worse scenarios of rising temperatures due to climatic changes. Hence they can support food security and malnutrition in this era of climate change.