Ghanaian academic and Southern Illinois University Carbondale professor Dr Kofi Akamani has died after sustaining gunshot injuries in Illinois, United States, in an incident that has led to the arrest of his wife.
Dr Akamani, who was 48, was shot on Saturday, September 19, 2026, in Jackson County, southern Illinois. According to the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded at about 5 p.m. to reports of a shooting near Lake Road between Murphysboro and Carbondale. He was subsequently taken to Memorial Hospital of Carbondale, where he was pronounced dead from injuries sustained in the incident.
Authorities have arrested 35 year old Betty Akamani in connection with the shooting. Investigators have not publicly disclosed the circumstances that preceded the incident, and the sheriff’s office has indicated that the investigation remains at an early stage.
Local reporting has said the accused was scheduled to appear in court on Monday, September 21, where prosecutors were expected to formally present charges. Authorities have not released further details concerning the circumstances surrounding the shooting.
The Jackson County Ambulance Service, Jackson County Coroner’s Office and Jackson County State’s Attorney’s Office assisted with the investigation, according to authorities.
Southern Illinois University Carbondale has mourned Dr Akamani, describing his death as a tragic loss to the university community. The institution said he had been a member of its faculty and extended condolences to his family, friends, colleagues and students.
Dr Akamani was a professor of Forest Recreation and Conservation Social Science in the university’s School of Forestry and Horticulture. He joined Southern Illinois University in 2011 and was promoted to full professor in 2024. The university’s current academic catalogue lists him as a professor in its Forestry programme.
His academic work focused extensively on the relationship between people, natural resources and the environment. His areas of research included forest and water governance, conservation, sustainable development, community resilience and the management of natural resources.
His scholarly contributions extended well beyond Southern Illinois University. Dr Akamani contributed to the United States Fifth National Climate Assessment, a major federal assessment examining climate change impacts, risks and adaptation across the country. Southern Illinois University had previously highlighted his selection as an author for the ecosystems chapter of the report.
He also participated in major international scientific assessments involving biodiversity, ecosystems, forests, water, food and human wellbeing. In June 2026, he was elected Secretary General of the International Union of Biological Sciences for a three year term, further reflecting his involvement in international scientific and environmental research.
His professional record included service as editor in chief of the Journal of Sustainable Forestry, as well as involvement in international scientific organisations and research initiatives. He was also recognised with the 2023 International Alumni Achievement Award by the University of Idaho’s College of Natural Resources.
Dr Akamani was born and educated in Ghana before pursuing advanced studies in Europe and the United States.
He began his university education at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Kumasi, where he obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Planning with a specialisation in Urban Planning in 2003.
He later travelled to Norway to pursue graduate studies at the University of Oslo, where he obtained an MPhil in Culture, Environment and Sustainability in 2006.
He subsequently moved to the United States and earned a PhD in Natural Resource Sciences from the University of Idaho in 2011. His academic training brought together development planning, environmental management and the social dimensions of natural resource conservation.
His connection to Ghana also remained evident in his research. During his doctoral studies, Dr Akamani conducted field research in Ghana examining collaborative forest management and its implications for the resilience of communities dependent on forest resources in the Ashanti Region.
His research later contributed to a peer reviewed study examining barriers to collaborative forest management and the resilience of forest dependent communities in the Ashanti Region.
His career consequently developed around an interdisciplinary examination of how communities, governments and institutions can manage forests, water resources and other natural assets while strengthening social and ecological resilience.
The circumstances surrounding his death remain under investigation. Authorities have not publicly provided a detailed account of what led to the shooting, and further information is expected as investigators and prosecutors proceed with the case.
For Ghana, his death represents the loss of an academic whose career connected institutions and research communities in Ghana, the United States and other parts of the world, particularly in the fields of sustainable development, forestry, conservation and natural resource governance.
