Kene Onukwube

Kene Onukwube is an experienced researcher and practitioner in adaptive social protection issues and my work challenges theories within the nexus of climate change, gender, disaster risks/ crisis and development through human rights advocacy and participatory action research.

He has worked in various capacities volunteering, professional and consultancy experience which comprise working with INGOs, academia and the public sector in the context of climate change issues on Social Risk Management, Food Securities and Resilient Livelihoods. I’m passionate for social inclusion and resilience building in community-based disaster risks reduction and agriculture in fragile communities (conflict, flood / drought contexts) in Africa.

In addition to membership of Gender and Disaster Network, UCL United Kingdom, he is also a member of the Energy Geographies, and the Development Geographies Research Groups,  United Kingdom. He supports the Communication Officer/Coordinator  roles of these research groups.

With research interests in risk communications and adaptive social protection, Kene has graduate degrees in Agriculture and GIS (Nigeria) and in Hazards, Risk and Resilience (Durham, United Kingdom). While a student, he was a member of the Board of the Institute of Hazards, Risks and Resilience (IHRR, 2016), University of Durham. Among participation in numerous local and international capacity building programs, three international trainings triggered a major shift in his thinking on CC and DRR: a UNESCO Chair international training course for the international network on Disaster risks mitigation for cultural heritage at the Ritsumeikan University RDMUCH, Kyoto (2013); training on DRR by Tearfund (2012-2013) and training on Human security and advocacy in Addis Ababa (2013). Kene has held Consultant positions with Action Aid International, Nigeria; Oxfam International, Development Education and Advocacy Resources for Africa (DEAR Africa) and variously as Program Manager Media Campaign to Halt human trafficking (MeCAHT); Oxfam International and currently on a climate-smart oil palm Initiative with Solidaridad, Nigeria.

Kene is Co-Chair of GEO DRR Working Group, leading subgroup 3 and he is involved in Tasks 3.1 and 3.2.