J.V. Mensah is a Professor of Development Economics at the University of Cape Coast (UCC), where he has conducted research and taught courses in development economics, development planning and management, environmental economics and governance since 1993. He has successfully supervised many graduate theses as principal supervisor or co-supervisor including more than 30 PhD theses, dozens of MPhil theses and scores of MA dissertations.
Prof. Mensah started work at UCC as Assistant Research Fellow in 1993 and was confirmed as Research Fellow in 1995.  He was promoted to Senior Research Fellow in 2003, Associate Professor in 2007 and Professor in 2012. After completing B.A. (Hons) in Economics and Diploma in Education at UCC in 1988, he worked as Assistant Operations Officer at the Central Regional Development Corporation (CEREDEC), Cape Coast from 1988 to 1990. 
Prof. Mensah obtained a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree and a Post-Graduate Diploma in Research from the University of Bradford, England in 2000 and 1998 respectively. He was awarded a Master of Science degree in Development Planning and Management, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Ghana in 1992 and a Post-Graduate Diploma in Development Planning and Management from the University of Dortmund, Germany in 1991. He served as a part-time lecturer at the University of Bradford (UK) from 1998 to 2000 and Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre, Accra from 2012-2015. 
He served as the Director of the Directorate of Academic Planning and Quality Assurance of UCC (2017-2019), the Director of the Institute for Development Studies (2008-2014), the Vice Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences (2010- 2014) and the Head of Department of African and General Studies (2001-2003). He spent his sabbatical leave as a Professor at the Department of Planning, KNUST from 2014 to 2016.
He has 86 publications and more than 20 research reports to his credit. He has also rendered outreach services in terms of commissioned research and consultancies to several intergovernmental organizations, government organizations, non-governmental organizations and private organizations. He has served and continues to serve on several boards and committees in and outside UCC.
He has been an external examiner for a number of universities within and outside Ghana. He serves as a reviewer for several reputable journals. He has also won various awards and grants to conduct research, attend international conferences and pursue further studies.