Kent State Africana Studies Professor Appointed Non-Resident Fellow of Nkafu Policy Institute

The Nkafu Policy Institute recently appointed Ghana native Felix Kumah-Abiwu, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Africana Studies at Kent State University, one of its Non-Resident Fellows in Governance & Democracy.

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The central mission of the Nkafu Policy Institute is to work with leading experts/scholars to provide novel policy ideas and prescriptions that will help Africa’s socio-economic development. Efforts to keep enhancing good governance practices, democratic consolidation, and the promotion of peace/security across Africa are some of the pressing issues being addressed by the Institute which also addresses critical matters in the areas of education, healthcare, science/technology and economic issues.

“As a scholar of African Affairs who is committed to researching and publishing scholarly works on political leadership, governance, democracy, and security issues in Africa, I consider my appointment as a unique/extraordinary opportunity to help shape policy ideas and outcomes on the continent,” Kumah-Abiwu said.

Kumah-Abiwu hopes that his research and publication of policy-related papers will serve the policy needs of political leaders, policymakers, and ordinary Africans. He also plans to get involved with the Institute through speaking events, serving as a panelist/moderator, and wants to provide leadership, strategic development, and program management of policy initiatives for the development of Africa, especially on issues of governance and democracy.

“This appointment is a great honor because of the Institute’s esteemed reputation as one of the leading policy think tanks in Africa,” Kumah-Abiwu said. “Their positive impact in providing novel policy recommendations toward Africa’s development is outstanding.”

To learn more about the Nkafu Policy Institute, visit: www.nkafu.org

About Dr. Kumah-Abiwu
Kumah-Abiwu is the founding director of the Center for African Studies at Kent State University. He received his Ph.D. in Political Science from West Virginia University and also studied at Ohio University for his graduate degree program in Communication and International Development. Prior to coming to the United States, he obtained his B.A. in Political Science from the University of Ghana and an MA in International Affairs from the Legon Centre for International Affairs & Diplomacy (LECIAD), University of Ghana.

His research focuses on political leadership in Africa, elections/democratic governance, African security issues, foreign policy analysis, narcotics policy, Black males/public education in the African diaspora, and African-centered theories. He has presented his research papers at national (USA) and international conferences. In 2015 and 2017, he presented his research papers at the Nordic Africa Institute in Uppsala, Sweden. He participated and presented papers at international conferences in Hamilton, Bermuda (2016), Dublin, Ireland (2018), Vienna, Austria (2019), Mauritius (2019) and Dunedin, New Zealand (2019) and many others.

In addition to his published book, book reviews, encyclopedia entries, and several book chapters, his scholarly journal articles have appeared in the Commonwealth Journal of International Affairs (The Round Table), Journal of Pan African Studies, West Africa Review, International Journal of Public Administration, Journal of Men’s Studies, Urban Education, Journal of Economics/Sustainable Development, Commonwealth & Comparative Politics and African Security Review.

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Media Contact:
Jim Maxwell, jmaxwel2@kent.edu, 330-672-8028