Political Science
Political Science
Department Head
Associate Professor
Political Science
Abbotsford campus, D3444
Phone: 604.504.7441, local 4444
email EdwardPhD International Relations and Comparative Politics in Developing Countries—University of Alberta
MA International Relations—Brock University
BA Hons. Political Science with Linguistics—University of Ghana
Dr. Akuffo was a Human Security Fellow of the Canadian Consortium on Human Security
POSC 230 – Introduction to Comparative Politics
POSC 260 – International Relations and Global Politics
POSC 360 – The United Nations and International Organizations
POSC 365 – Global Security
POSC 368 – Canadian Foreign Policy
POSC 460 – Seminar in International Relations
Interregional Security Cooperation in Africa
Canada-Africa Relations
Human Security and International Humanitarian Law
Africa Security and Development
International Development
International Organization
Globalization and Global Governance
International Relations Theory
April 2015: On Terrorism, Mali Conflict, and International Response: A Paradigm shift or perpetuating Hegemony? The Regional Dynamics of Peace and Security in West Africa Symposium, Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Center (KAIPTC) , Accra, Ghana 28-30 April 2015
May 2014: Africa’s Geopolitical Space: The case of Continuities and Changes in Canada’s Security Policy from Chrétien to Harper. Canadian Political Science Association Annual Conference Brock University, St. Catherines Ontario
May 2014: AU-ICC Relations: In search of Justice and Security or Contest for Regional Legitimacy? Canadian Political Science Association Annual Conference Brock University, St. Catherines Ontario
June 2013: Interregional Cooperation between the AU and NATO: the case of promoting Peace and Security in Libya. Canadian Political Science Association Annual Conference University of Victoria, British Columbia
May 2012: Beyond Apartheid: Moral Identity, FIPA’s and NEPAD in Canada-South Africa Relations. Canada-South Africa Relations Colloquium. University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
April 2012: With Tom Keating, (Re) envisioning International Order: The Role of Emerging Powers. International Studies Association Convention, San Diego, USA
May 2011: With Tom Keating, The Demise of Peacekeeping in Canadian Foreign Policy: Assessing the External Environment. Canadian Political Science Association Annual Conference, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo
March 2011: Securing Africa: Emerging Trends in AU Peace and Security Council and UN Security Council Relationship in Darfur. International Studies Association Convention, Montreal, Canada
March 2011: A Fading Middle Power? Canada’s Moral Identity in Africa and Its Implications for Policy in the Twenty-First Century. International Studies Association Convention, Montreal, Canada
March 2011: Panel Chair, Regional Politics and Arrangements: Opportunities, Challenges, and Constraints in Implementing the Responsibility to Protect, International Studies Association Convention, Montreal
June 2010: With Tom Keating, Towards a Society of Regions? The case of cooperation among the UN, EU, NATO and the AU for peace and security in Africa. Canadian Political Science Association Annual Conference, Concordia University, Montreal
June 2010: Cooperating for Peace and Security or Competing for Legitimacy? Explaining the Emerging Relationship between the AU Peace and Security Council and the UN Security Council on Darfur Canadian Political Science Association Annual Conference, Concordia University, Montreal
May 2010: A ‘Fading’ Middle Power in Africa? Transforming Canada’s Strategic Moral Advantage in Africa into Overarching Policy. Canadian Association of African Studies Conference, Carleton University, Ottawa
February 2010: Human Security and the Emerging Interregional Security Cooperation between NATO and the African Union International Studies Association, New Orleans, USA
February 2010. Human Security by Proxy: Comparing the Liberals and the Conservatives Response to Darfur. International Studies Association, New Orleans, USA
November 2009: Non-Imperial Internationalism: Analysing the roots of Canada’s Disengagement in Africa. Canadian Foreign Policy New Scholars Conference, Norman Patterson School of International Affairs, Carleton University, Ottawa
October 2009: Panel Member/Resource Person (Security and Governance Workshop), The New Africa: Redrawing the Blueprint for the Canada-Africa Partnership. Canadian Council on Africa, Ottawa, Ontario
May 2009: Human Security by Proxy: An investigation of Canada’s support to the African Union Mission in Darfur, Sudan (AMIS). Canadian Political Science Association Annual Conference Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario
May 2009:The Enduring Legacy of Human Security: NATO and the African Union’s Peace and Security Capacity Building 39th Canadian Association of African Studies Conference, Queens University, Kingston Ontario
February 2009: Panel Member with Prof. Thomas Keating, Genocide in Darfur: on Canada’s Watch University of Alberta International Week. Edmonton, Alberta
October 2007: Canada’s Policy towards the African Union’s Peace and Security Architecture: towards a Constructivist Analysis.RoyalMilitaryCollege, KingstonOntario
March 2007: Building Ghana’s Local Governance System: An Analysis of Canadian Development Assistance. Ghana’s 50th Independence Anniversary Celebration, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta
February 2007: “Unconventional Weapons of Mass Destruction” and Canadian HumanSecurity Policies in Africa in the Age of Terror. University of Alberta International Week. Edmonton, Alberta
January 2007: The AU Security Regime and Canada’s Human Security Policy in Africa: Assessing the (re-) emergence of African Consciousness and Implications for Consolidation. Middle East and African Studies Graduate Conference. University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta
February 2004: New Strategy for Africa’s Development: Assessing the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) and Canada’s Involvement. Africa Heritage Month Celebration. Brock University, St. Catharines, Ontario
November 2004: Foreign Interventionism in African Conflicts. Brock University Department of Political Science Speaker Series. St. Catharines, Ontario.
May 2014: The Problems and Promise of Nigeria. Canadian International Council
<http://opencanada.org/features/the-think-tank/comments/the-problems-and-promise-of-nigeria/>
November 2014: Africa's New Reality. Canadian International Council
<http://opencanada.org/features/the-think-tank/comments/africas-new-reality/>
May 2013: Panel Member, Roundtable—Canadian Foreign Policy and Radicalization in the Sahel: Interests, Responsibilities, Responses? Canadian Association of African Studies Annual Conference, Carleton University, Ottawa.
November 2012: Business as Usual? Canadian International Council
<http://opencanada.org/features/the-think-tank/comments/business-as-usual/>
March 2011: Moderator/Presenter Oil, Politics, and Development in Ghana, Public Forum to Celebrate Ghana’s 54th Independence Anniversary, University of Alberta, Edmonton
February 2009: Panel Member with Prof. Thomas Keating, Genocide in Darfur: on Canada’s Watch .University of Alberta International Week. Edmonton, Alberta
Akuffo, E. A. (March 20, 2009). Arrest Warrant for Sudanese President may Jeopardise Peace in Darfur. Edmonton Journal
Books
Akuffo, E. A. (2012). Canadian Foreign Policy in Africa: Regional Approaches to Peace, Security, and Development. New York: Routledge
Book Chapter(s)
Andrews, Nathan, Edward Akuffo, and J. Andrew Grant (2022). “Reflections on Natural Resource Based Development in Africa in the 2020s,” in Andrews et al. (eds)., Natural-Resource Based Development in Africa: Panacea or Pandora’s Box? University of Toronto Press (acceptedand forthcoming)
Akuffo, E. A. (2021). Morality as Organizing Principle: Making Sense of Canada Africa Relations, in Robert Murray and Paul Gecelovsky (eds.) The Palgrave Handbook of Canada in International Affairs New York: Palgrave MacMillan
Akuffo, E. A. (2016). Africa's Geopolitical Space and Canada's Multilateral Security Strategy: The Chrétien and Harper Eras, in Robert W. Murray (ed.) Seeking Order in Anarchy: Multilateralism as State Strategy Edmonton: University of Alberta Press
Akuffo, E. A. (2015). Canada’s Moral Identity in Africa and Its Implications for Policy in the Twenty-First Century. In Rosalind Warner (ed.), Unsettled Balance: Ethics, Security and Canada’s International Relations. Vancouver: UBC Press
Akuffo, E. A. (2013). Canada’s Engagement with African Regional Peace and Security Architecture: Constructivist Analysis and Implications for Policy, in Rohinton Medhora and Yiagadeesen Samy (eds), Canada Among Nations: Canada and Africa: From Aid to Engagement—Looking Back, Looking Ahead. Waterloo: CIGI/NPSIA
Journal Articles
Lee, Kelly, Edward Akuffo and Tim Shaw (2020). Canada’s Covid-19 Response: Navigating National and Global Security. The Roundtable. The Commonwealth Journal of International Affairs.
Akuffo, E. A. (2014). The Politics of Interregional Cooperation: The Impact of NATO’s Intervention in Libya on its relations with the African Union, African Conflict & Peacebuilding Review 4(2) 108-128
Akuffo, E. A. (2013). Beyond Apartheid: Moral Identity, FIPAs, and NEPAD in Canada-South Africa Relations. Commonwealth & Comparative Politics. 51(2): 173-188
Akuffo, E. A. (2011). Human Security and Interregional Cooperation between North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the African Union. Global Change, Peace & Security 23(2) 223-237
Akuffo, E. A. (2010). Cooperating for Peace and Security or Competing for Legitimacy in Africa?: the case of the African Union in Darfur. Africa Security Review 19(4) 74-89*
Burton, C., Powell, K., Tieku, T.K., with Akuffo, E. A. (Fall 2004). The African Union’s Standby Force: Canadian Foreign and Defence Policy Options. Canadian Foreign Policy Vol. 11 No. 1
Working Papers
Akuffo, E. A. (2021) Securing Africa: AU-NATO Peacekeeping Capacity Building and Implications for Canadian Foreign Policy. Defence and Security Foresight Group (Department of National Defence), University of Waterloo, ON
Blogs and Op-ed Articles
David Hornsby, David Black, Edward Akuffo & Thomas Tieku. 2025. Canada’s Africa Strategy is a Landmark Moment for Canada-Africa Relations, But Still Needs Work.
Akuffo, E. A. and Cherie Enns (2020). Thinking about Global Humanitarian Interests in the midst of a Global Pandemic
Akuffo, E. A. (2020). The Military and Defence of Ghana: The Root of Persistent Controversies and the Way Out
CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS AND RESEARCH CONTRIBUTIONS:
May 2026: Expert Panel Member, “Security Force Assistance in a Shifting Geopolitical Landscape: Lessons Learned and Future Challenges”, Department of National Defence, MINDS Workshop, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia
March 2026: Expert Panel Member. “The Economic Dimension of the Canada Strategy for Africa: One Year On – Progress, Partnerships, and Prospects”, Africa Study Group Webinar (Canadian International Council), Carleton University, Norman Paterson School of International Affairs (NPSIA)
March 2026: “Interregional Security Partnerships and the State: NATO’s Diffusion in Sub-Saharan Africa”. Paper presented with Eyal Rubinson (Ariel University, Israel), 67th Annual Convention of the International Studies Association, Colombus, USA
February 2026: Expert Participant, “Climate Change and (in) Security in African Contexts: Dialogue in a Shifting Political Landscape, Department of National Defence, MINDS Workshop, University of Ottawa
August 2025: presented a paper titled, “ The Centrality of Africa in Achieving the SDGs: The Role of Canada on the panel “Africa, an essential pillar for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals”, moderated by Senator Amina Gerba, Victoria Forum 2025 (Invited)
June 2025: Expert Panel Member, “ A Partnership for Shared Prosperity and Security: The Canada Africa Strategy”, Africa Study Group Webinar (Canadian International Council), Carleton University, Norman Paterson School of International Affairs (NPSIA)
March 2025: CPSA Presidential roundtable on Canada's G-7 Presidency in 2025, International Studies Association Convention, Chicago
February 2025: “Africa’s Geopolitical space and Canda-Africa Relations in a Shifting Global Order” , Public Lecture, Univeristy of Media Arts and Communication, Accra, Ghana
June 2024: With Victoria Surtees, Chantelle Marlor, and Daryl Smith, “ Building Community Across Cultures: Faculty and Staff Intercultural Development, British Columbia International Education Week, Vancouver
April 2024: AU-NATO Security cooperation: Challenges and Change, 65th Annual Convention of the International Studies Association, San Francisco, USA
April 2024: Canada in Africa: The Elsie Initiative and challenges of peace operations”, 65th Annual Convention of the International Studies Association, San Francisco, USA
October 2023: Politalk Roundtable Series: Threats and Challenges in Global Politics, 51污漫, Abbotsford.
April 2023: “ Introduction to Canada-Africa Relations”, Virtual Lecture, Global Affairs Canada, Ottawa
March 2023: Scholars and Practitioners: Bridging the Canadian Foreign Policy Divide. Roundtable Participant, 64th Annual Convention of the International Studies Association, Montreal, Canada.
March 2023: Intellectual Humility and Global IR: Is there a Place for Pluralistic Universalism? Roundtable Participant, 64th Annual Convention of the International Studies Association, Montreal, Canada.
February 2023: Expert Panel Member, “Towards Strengthening Canada-Africa Relations”, Africa Study Group Webinar (Canadian International Council), Carleton University, Norman Paterson School of International Affairs (NPSIA)
May 2022: Canada in Africa: The Elsie Initiative and closing the gap in peace operations”, Canadian Political Science Association Annual Conference (Virtual)
April 2022: Natural Resource-Based Development in Africa: Panacea or Pandora’s Box? Roundtable Participant, 63rd Annual Convention of the International Studies Association, Nashville, USA
March 2022: Politalk Roundtable Series: Interdisciplinary Panel on Ukraine. 51污漫, Abbotsford. Panel Member: Presented on Realist Interpretation of Russia’s invasion.
February 2022: Politalk Roundtable Series: Canada’s Emergencies Act. 51污漫, Abbotsford. Panel Member: Presented on National and International Security Implications
April 2021: Canadian Foreign Policy in the 2020s Roundtable Participant, 62nd Annual Convention of the International Studies Association (Virtual)
June 2020: Politalk Roundtable Series: The Covid-19 Pandemic: Impacts and Diverse Responses, 51污漫, Abbotsford (co-organizer and panel member: presented on opportunities and challenges to international security cooperation and state sovereignty).
March 2020: AU-NATO Security Governance in Africa: Contesting Identities, Convergence and Divergence of Norms, Ideas, and Values. 61st Annual Convention of the International Studies Association (ISA), Honolulu (cancelled because of the Covid-19 Pandemic)