Meet Our Team
WACCE is managed by a competent team of diverse professionals with expertise in the areas of Project Management, Research, Finance, Gender, Youth and Inclusion. With a strong sense and culture of team, and respective for diversity.
Mutaru Muqthar Mumuni
Executive Director
Mutaru Mumuni Muqthar is the Founder and Executive Director for West Africa Centre for Counter-Extremism (WACCE). Muqthar was influenced and inspired by his own family’s story as victims of conflict and radicalization to work in security.
Prior to founding WACCE in 2014, Muqthar has held various positions leading many projects in various countries. This includes as Business and Research Manager at RDFC Africa in Ghana, Egypt, Nigeria, and UK from 2008 to 2011. During the period of 2022-2023, he served as Ghana Country Coordinator for the US organization, International Republican Institute and between 2007 and 2008, he also worked as Program Coordinator for the American University of Rome (Ghana) program at the Kokrobitey Institute where he coordinated a nationwide (Ghana) anti-slavery project on Transatlantic Slave Trade providing the organization’s first blueprint on transatlantic slave trade on Ghana.
Mutaru brings to WACCE a proficient understanding of violent extremism, counter terrorism, organizational development and people management. In the last 9 years, Muqthar’s decisive leadership has been instrumental in driving strategic planning, progamming, fundraising, and stakeholder relationships and highly valuable partnerships towards achievement of WACCE’s mission and goal. He has lead the team to stop 23 radicalised individuals from travelling to join terrorist groups. Since 2014, WACCE’s works have helped to deepen local understanding around radicalization and violent extremism in West Africa.
Following a six-month internship with the West Midlands Police Department, Coventry, he returned to Ghana in 2014 to help contribute to countering the increasing menace of terrorism in West Africa.
Muqthar also serves as conference speaker and guest lecturer to several institutions in Ghana and abroad. He is an alumnus of the Mandela Washington Fellowship, a Global Shaper of the World Economic Forum (WEF), Scholar of the Aspen Institute (USA) and serves as mentor for youth career and professional development. Most recently, Muqthar became an alumni of the Emerging Security Sector Leaders program by the Africa Center for Strategic Studies, Washington DC. Among several other awards and commendations, Mutaru is a recipient of the African of the Year Award (2018), the youngest recipient at the time, for his impactful works in preventing violent extremism in Africa. Previous recipients have been former President of South Africa, Thabo Mbeki and former President of the Africa Development Bank, Donald Kaberuka.
Mutaru studied for a Master of Arts (MA, Hons) degree in International Terrorism, Global Crime and International Security from Coventry University, UK including understudying anti-mafia prosecutors in Sicily, Italy. He has studied in the areas of security and leadership at the National Defense University (USA) and the State University of New Jersey (Rutgers, USA). Prior to this, he earned a Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree in Business Administration with a liberal Arts curriculum from Ashesi University, Ghana.
Philemon Agyapong - Finance and Administration
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Elizabeth Quansah, Research and Programs Offer
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Musah Timtooni, Programs Officer
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Ibrahim Nashiru, Programs Officer
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Elizabeth-Joan Quansah
Program Associate
Elizabeth-Joan is the Program Associate and currently assists with research, planning, and execution of program activities at WACCE. She has a Master’s Degree in International Relations (Specialist) from Aberystwyth University, and a Bachelor of Arts in English and Spanish (First Class Honours) from the University of Ghana. Elizabeth-Joan is multilingual in English, Spanish and French with a Diploma in Spanish Language Studies (DELE C1) and Diploma in French Language Studies (DELF B2).
She joined the WACCE team in July 2024.
Swalaha Kumbasi, Administrative Officer
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Abdul Rahim Newton, Programs Manager
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