PAA Staff and Consultants | Pan Africa Agenda

Institute for Security Studies

Eric Pelser

ENACT programme head

epelser@issafrica.org

Eric Pelser

Eric Pelser joined the ISS in 2017 as head of the ENACT Programme, which aims to enhance Africa’s capacity to respond to transnational organised crime. Over the past 25 years, Eric has worked in government, the non-governmental and corporate sectors in a number of African countries. He has extensive experience in the public safety and development field, in the areas of programme management, design, evaluation and research. Eric has published on policing, criminal justice and crime prevention and has a Master’s degree in public and development management from the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa.

Publications by Eric Pelser

Catherine Moat

Project manager

cmoat@issafrica.org

Catherine Moat

Catherine Moat joined the ISS in September 2019 as the Project Manager for the Transnational Threats and International Crime programme in Pretoria. She has extensive project management experience in local, international and academic institutions. More recently, Catherine headed the policing programme at the University of the Witwatersrand School of Governance. Her experience includes materials development, facilitation and training with civil society and the public sector in Southern Africa on public security, policing, organised crime and governance. Catherine has a Master's degree in social development from the University of Manchester.

Carina Bruwer

Senior researcher

cbruwer@issafrica.org

Carina Bruwer

Carina Bruwer joined ISS in September 2022 as a Senior Researcher for the ENACT organised crime programme based in Cape Town. She is an admitted attorney and has previously worked for the Endangered Wildlife Trust and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime's Global Maritime Crime Programme. Her research covered international law and criminology, focusing on global responses to organised crimes at sea around the eastern African coast. Carina has a PhD in public international law from the University of Cape Town.

Publications by Carina Bruwer

Feyi Ogunade

Regional organised crime observatory coordinator – West Africa

fogunade@issafrica.org

Feyi Ogunade

Feyi Ogunade joined ISS in September 2022 as the Regional Organised Crime Observatory Coordinator for West Africa, based in Abuja, Nigeria. He was previously the executive director of AU Watch, and a senior legal officer at the African Union. Feyi has 30 years of experience that include work as a journalist, international legal expert on African human rights, lecturer and fundraiser. He serves on several company boards and advisory committees for non-profits, and is involved in development initiatives across Africa. Feyi has studied international relations, international human rights law and political science, and has a PhD from the University of York.

Publications by Feyi Ogunade

Halkano Wario

Regional organised crime observatory coordinator – East Africa

hwario@issafrica.org

Halkano Wario

Halkano Abdi Wario joined the ISS in June 2023 as the ENACT programme's Regional Organised Crime Observatory Coordinator for Eastern Africa, based in Nairobi. Before that he was associate director at the Center for Study of Terrorism, Violent Extremism and Radicalization at the HORN International Institute for Strategic Studies and a senior lecturer at Egerton University, Kenya. Halkano has a PhD in religion (Islamic studies) from Bayreuth University, Germany and an MPhil in religion from Moi University, Kenya.

Publications by Halkano Wario

Martin Ewi

Regional organised crime observatory coordinator – Southern Africa

mewi@issafrica.org

Martin Ewi

Martin Ewi joined the ISS in 2010 as a senior researcher in the Transnational Threats and International Crime Programme in Pretoria. He is currently the regional organised crime observatory coordinator for Southern Africa in the ENACT Programme. Before joining the ISS, he was political affairs officer at the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons in The Hague. Before that, Martin led the African Union Commission’s counter-terrorism programme in Addis Ababa. He has a Master’s degree in international peace studies from the University of Notre Dame, at Southbend, Indiana, USA.

Publications by Martin Ewi

Ndubuisi Christian Ani

Senior researcher

nani@issafrica.org

Ndubuisi Christian Ani

Ndubuisi Christian Ani joined the ISS in January 2021 as a Senior Researcher and Project Coordinator in the ENACT Programme, based in Abuja, Nigeria. Before that he was a senior regional advisor on the GIZ support project at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre in Accra, Ghana. Christian worked for ISS in 2016 as a researcher on the Peace and Security Council Report at ISS Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. He also had a research role at the African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes in South Africa. He has a PhD in international relations from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

Publications by Ndubuisi Christian Ani

Oluwole Ojewale

Regional organised crime observatory coordinator – Central Africa

oojewale@issafrica.org

Oluwole Ojewale

Oluwole Ojewale is the ENACT Programme’s Regional Organised Crime Observatory (ROCO) coordinator for Central Africa, based in Dakar. Before joining ISS, Oluwole was the head of research and strategy development department at CLEEN Foundation in Abuja. He led extensive research engagements on policing, accountable governance for justice and security, human rights, preventing and countering violent extremism, civil-military relations, human trafficking, and election security threat assessments. Oluwole recently completed his PhD degree at Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria.

Publications by Oluwole Ojewale

Samira Aden Abdi

Research Officer

sabdi@issafrica.org

Samira Aden Abdi

Samira Aden Abdi joined the ISS in November 2024 as a Research Officer in the ENACT project. Before that, she was a project assistant for ENACT at the ISS. Prior to joining ISS, Samira worked at Helping Hands for Relief and Development as a research assistant. She has a Bachelor’s degree in international relations from the United States International University Africa in Nairobi, Kenya.

Raoul Sumo Tayo

Senior researcher

rsumo@issafrica.org

Raoul Sumo Tayo

Raoul Sumo Tayo joined the ISS in June 2024 as a Senior Researcher in the ENACT programme, based in Yaoundé, Cameroon. Prior to this, he worked for the Small Arms Surveys, the Center for Peace, Security and Integration Studies, the University of Maroua and the Centre for Strategic Studies and Innovations. Raoul’s research interests include borders, counterinsurgency, vigilantism and contemporary criminal threats. He studied sociology at the University of Liège, Belgium and history of international relations at the University of Yaoundé 1, where he obtained his PhD in 2017.

Willis Okumu

Senior researcher

wokumu@issafrica.org

Willis Okumu

Dr Willis Okumu is a Senior Researcher in the ENACT Programme in Nairobi. He previously worked as the Peacebuilding Coordinator/Researcher at Anglican Development Services Kenya. His research interests include transnational organised crime, human-environment relations, inter-communal peacebuilding and pastoralists livelihoods in East Africa and the Horn. Willis has a PhD in social anthropology and an MA in culture and environment in Africa from the University of Cologne. He also has a BA in political science and sociology from the University of Nairobi.

Publications by Willis Okumu

Ntokozo Dlamini

Programme officer

ndlamini@issafrica.org

Ntokozo Dlamini

Ntokozo Dlamini joined the ISS in 2019 as Programme Officer in the Complex Threats in Africa Programme in Pretoria. Before joining the ISS she was a programme officer at the Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa, and the assistant fund manager for the Canadian International Development Agency. Ntokozo has post-graduate diplomas in public administration, public health and monitoring and evaluation from the Universities of KwaZulu-Natal, Western Cape and Witwatersrand in South Africa. Ntokozo is pursuing a Master’s degree in public health with the University of the Western Cape.

Wendy Nzima

Programme administrator

wnzima@issafrica.org

Wendy Nzima

Wendy Nzima joined the ISS in 2019 and is now a Programme Assistant in the Complex Threats in Africa Programme in Pretoria. Before joining the ISS she worked at the Spanish Embassy as visa processing officer. Wendy has a N6 certificate in project management from Richfield College. She is currently studying economics management sciences at the University of South Africa.

Global Initiative against Transnational Organised Crime

Mark Shaw

Director

mark.shaw@globalinitiative.net

Mark Shaw

Mark is the Director of the Global Initiative against Transnational Organised Crime, and senior visiting fellow at the London School of Economics and Political Science’s International Drug Policy Project. He was until recently National Research Foundation Professor of Justice and Security at the Centre of Criminology, University of Cape Town, where he is now an adjunct professor.

Publications by Mark Shaw

Tuesday Reitano

Deputy director

tuesday.reitano@globalinitiative.net

Tuesday Reitano

Tuesday is the deputy director at the Global Initiative. She was formerly a policy specialist in the UN System, including with the UN Development Programme (UNDP), the UN Development Group (UNDG) and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). In this time, she has amassed a wealth of experience in fragile states and development working both with states, civil society and at the community level to strengthen resilience to transnational threats, promote sustainable development and the rule of law. Tuesday holds three Masters Degrees in Business Administration, Public Administration and an MSc in Security, Conflict and International Development.

Publications by Tuesday Reitano

Laura Adal

Senior research analyst

laura.adal@globalinitiative.net

Laura Adal

Laura is a senior research analyst at the Global Initiative. While she provides research for a number of projects, analysing a diverse range of organised crime flows across the world and developing responses, her current focus relates to organised crime in Africa. Laura formerly worked with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, where she engaged in research related to terrorism and violent extremism and provided legal counter-terrorism technical assistance to Member States. Laura is a licensed attorney, holding a J.D. from South Texas College of Law, and a B.A. in International Studies from the University of St. Thomas.

Publications by Laura Adal

Nina Kaysser

Research and data analyst

nina.kaysser@globalinitiative.net

Nina Kaysser

Nina is a research and data analyst at the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime. Her current research focuses on enhancing the evidence base of organised crime in Africa. Before joining the Global Initiative, she worked for the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data (ACLED) project, specialising in political violence in Bangladesh, Nepal and India. She holds a PhD in Development Studies and a MSc in Development Economics from SOAS, University of London.

Publications by Nina Kaysser