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Felix Dapare Dakora
FAAS, FASSAf
Felix Dapare Dakora FAAS, FASSAf
Born	Felix Dapare Dakora; 14 November 1952 (age 72); Ghana
Nationality	Ghanaian
Alma mater	University of Ghana (BSc); University of Sydney (MSc); University of Western Australia (PhD);
Known for	Study of legume/rhizobium symbiosis
Awards	UNESCO-Equatorial Guinea International Prize for Research African Union Kwame Nkrumah Continental Science Award
	Scientific career
Fields	Biological Nitrogen Fixation
Institutions	Tshwane University of Technology
Doctoral advisor	Craig Atkins and John Pate

Felix Dapare Dakora, FAAS, FASSAf is a Ghanaian plant biologist investigating biological nitrogen fixation at the Tshwane University of Technology in South Africa. He currently serves as President of The African Academy of Sciences for the 2017–2023 terms.^[1]^[2]^[3] Dakora was awarded the UNESCO-Equatorial Guinea International Prize for Research in the Life Sciences and the African Union Kwame Nkrumah Scientific Award.^[4]^[5] Dakora is a Fellow of the Academy of Science of South Africa.^[6]

Academic career

Dakora studied agriculture at the University of Ghana, obtaining his BSc (Hons) degree in 1977. After a year at Ghana's Crops Research Institute, he moved to the University of Sydney, Australia, to study microbiology, obtaining an MSc degree. Returning to Nyankpala in Northern Ghana to the Savanna Agricultural Research Institute, Dakora continued researching the role of symbiotic legumes in nitrogen fixation. In 1985 Dakora moved from Ghana to Perth, Western Australia to study for a PhD in botany at the University of Western Australia, Perth. Following the award of his PhD in 1989, Dakora moved to the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., and later to University of California, Davis. In 1993 Dakora became a lecturer in the botany department at the University of Cape Town. In 2002 Dakora became professor and executive dean of research development and technology promotion, Cape Technikon, Cape Town. He holds a South African Research Chair in agrochemurgy and plant symbioses at Tshwane University of Technology.

Research interests

Dakora first studied fast‐growing bacteria from nodules of cowpea at the University of Sydney.^[7] Throughout his career Dakora has published over 400 papers covering the roles of legume signalling molecules, and legumes and their associated microbes which fertilize crops and are tolerant of drought, acidic and salty soils and high temperatures.^[8]^[9]^[10] Dakora has also studied microbes which can help overcome micronutrient deficiency in Africa and methods of sustainable agriculture.^[11]

Awards and honours

UNESCO-Equatorial Guinea International Prize for Research in the Life Sciences, 2012^[4]
Fellow of the African Academy of Sciences, 2014^[2]
African Union Kwame Nkrumah Continental Science Award, 2016^[5]
Elected President of the African Academy of Sciences, 2017^[1]
Fellow of The World Academy of Sciences, 2018^[12]
Foreign member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, 2019^[13]

References

^ ^a ^b "The African Academy of Sciences Inaugurates New President and Governing Council » Africa Oxford Initiative". Archived from the original on 2019-06-26. Retrieved 2019-06-26.
^ ^a ^b "Dakora Felix Dapare | The AAS". aasciences.ac.ke. Archived from the original on 2019-06-30. Retrieved 2019-06-30.
^ "The Governing Council | The AAS". www.aasciences.africa. Archived from the original on 2023-04-13. Retrieved 2022-11-06.
^ ^a ^b "UNESCO-Equatorial Guinea International Prize for Research in the Life Sciences". UNESCO. 2018-12-11. Retrieved 2019-06-26.
^ ^a ^b "2016 African Union Kwame Nkrumah Continental Science Awards presented to winners during the 28th AU Summit | African Union". au.int. Retrieved 2019-06-30.
^ "Members". www.assaf.org.za. Retrieved 2019-06-30.
^ Dakora, F.D.; Vincent, J.M. (April 1984). "Fast-growing bacteria from nodules of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.)". Journal of Applied Bacteriology. 56 (2): 327–330. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2672.1984.tb01355.x. ISSN 0021-8847.
^ Phillips, D. A.; Joseph, C. M.; Dakora, F. D. (1993-03-01). "Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) Root Exudates Contain Isoflavonoids in the Presence of Rhizobium meliloti". Plant Physiology. 101 (3): 819–824. doi:10.1104/pp.101.3.819. ISSN 0032-0889. PMC 158695. PMID 12231731.
^ Dakora, F. D. (1995). "Plant Flavonoids: Biological Molecules for Useful Exploitation". Functional Plant Biology. 22 (1): 87–99. doi:10.1071/pp9950087. ISSN 1445-4416.
^ Dakora, F. D.; Keya, S. O. (1997-05-01). "Contribution of legume nitrogen fixation to sustainable agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa". Soil Biology and Biochemistry. International Symposium - Sustainable Agriculture for the Tropics: The Role of Biological Nitrogen Fixation. 29 (5): 809–817. doi:10.1016/S0038-0717(96)00225-8. ISSN 0038-0717.
^ Dakora, Felix; Chimphango, Samson B. M.; Valentine, Alex J.; Elmerich, Claudine; Newton, William E. (2008-06-27). Biological Nitrogen Fixation International Biotechnology. ISBN 978-1402082511.
^ "Dakora, Felix Dapare". TWAS. Retrieved 2019-06-30.
^ "中国工程院2019年院士增选结果" (in Chinese). Chinese Academy of Engineering. 2019-11-22. Retrieved 2020-01-19.