Divine Kumah, Policy & Advocacy Intern

Divine is currently pursuing a Master of Global Affairs in International Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame's Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, where his research focuses on the price of peace and the cost of war with emphasis on the fragmentation of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) from ECOWAS and jihadist spillover dynamics across coastal West Africa. He previously earned a Bachelor of Laws from Wisconsin International University, and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (HRM) in Conflict Resolution from Data Link University, Ghana.

Prior to joining AfP, Divine served for over five years as a Senior High Court Registrar in the capacity of Regional Coordinator for Alternative Dispute Resolution with Ghana's Judicial Service, where he enhanced ADR procedures that resolved cases through mediation and reduced average case resolution time. He collaborated with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Court of Justice to design and implement sensitization programs on human rights violations and regional legal frameworks across West Africa. During this time, he worked extensively in Ghana's Northern and Savannah regions; areas now facing emerging security threats from southward jihadist expansion, giving him direct field experience in one of the continent's most critically watched security corridors. He also served as Team Lead for the Voluntary Workcamp Association of Ghana's Peace Ambassador Program, coordinating violence-free election initiatives and literacy campaigns for marginalized communities in Ghana's Savannah Region.

As a Research Fellow at JIDELFA International, Divine contributed to the organization's Security and Stability Programme, analyzing regional security architecture policies and implementation gaps in the AES-ECOWAS fragmentation. He co-authored policy briefs on West African security dynamics, including the organization's inaugural policy brief, "Fracture Lines and Fragile Frontiers: West Africa's Regional Security Crisis." His research on transnational organized crime and regional security challenges in West Africa was published in the Global Scientific Journal (Volume 2, Issue 12, December 2024), and he is currently contributing to the forthcoming Peace and Security Architecture Vacuum Project. At the Kroc Institute, Divine also serves as Research Assistant, employing GIS and spatial analysis methodologies to develop conflict assessment frameworks.

Divine holds advanced certificates from the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) in Rule of Law and Security Sector Governance, Conflict Analysis, Negotiation and Mediation, and UN Civil-Military Coordination.

Divine lives in Washington, DC, and in his free time enjoys gym fitness, following football, reading, and hiking.