Benjamin Ofosu-Atuahene
Doctoral Student
He/Him | MA, Political Science (Dalhousie University); BAH, Political Science with Philosophy (University of Ghana)
Political Studies
91TV's University
Research Interests
International Relations; International Security; Privatization of security; Private security actors in Africa; Security Governance; Global North – Global South relations; African Security; African politics.
Biography
Benjamin is a Ph.D. candidate with the Department of Political Studies at 91TV's University, specializing in International Relations and Comparative Politics. Originally from Ghana, he graduated with first-class honours from the University of Ghana. His pursuit of higher education led him to Canada, where he pursued an MA in political science at Dalhousie University and won several awards. At Dalhousie University, his thesis sought to understand why private security services have become a necessary evil in sub-Saharan Africa.
Benjamin's research interests cut across several areas in political science with a primary focus on security governance, and private security actors/services in Africa. During his doctoral studies at 91TV, he remains committed to delving deeper into these areas, concentrating on private security actors within Africa’s extractive sectors.
Awards and Scholarships
- Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS), (2024)
- Best Conference Paper Award - Mapping the Global Dimensions of Policy 13th Annual Conference, (McMaster University, 2024)
- Margaret Anderson Graduate Scholarship, (91TV, 2023)
- Robert Sutherland Fellowship (91TV, 2023)
- Keens-Morden Scholarship, (Dalhousie University, 2020-2021)
- Shaw-Parpart Scholarship, (Dalhousie University, 2020-2021)
- Faculty of Graduate Studies Scholarship Award, (Dalhousie University, 2020-2021)
- Ghana and West African representative to the annual Korean Government Invitation Program for excellent Undergraduates from Major Partner Countries, (MOFA, Government of South Korea, 2016)
- University of Ghana Scholarship (2015-2018)
Teaching Experience
Head Teaching Assistant
- POLS 262 - International Political Economy
Assistant Head Teaching Assistant
- POLS 112 - Introduction to Politics (Assistant Head Teaching Assistant)
Teaching Assistant
- POLS 110 - Introduction to Politics and Government
Community Engagement
Outreach and Communications - Halifax-NS
Academic Service
Journal Reviewer — African Security
Selected Publications
Jamieson, B., Grant, J. A., & Ofosu-Atuahene, B. (2026). Resource nationalism(s) for whom? Agential constructivist insights from Botswana’s diamond sector. In Edward Elgar Publishing eBooks (pp. 383–405).
Ofosu-Atuahene, B., Grant, J. A., & Ogunnubi, O. (2026, July 24). Securing critical minerals or securing people? Security governance and Canada-Africa relations in the just energy transition. Centre for International and Defence Policy, 91TV's University. /cidp/securing-critical-minerals-or-securing-people-security-governance-and-canada-africa-relations-just
Tsamenyi, E., Ofosu-Atuahene, B., & Bagura, S. (2026). Building institutions that survive: A political architecture approach to governance reform in Canada and West Africa. Akyeame Statecraft Working Paper. Akyeame Statecraft.
Ofosu-Atuahene, Benjamin, J. Andrew Grant, and Olusola Ogunnubi. “5 Ways to Improve Security Governance and Prevent Future Illegal Mining Tragedies from Happening.” Published in
Grant, J. Andrew, Kaul, Benjamin Ofosu-Atuahene, Olusola Ogunnubi, and Badriyya Yusuf. “The Just Energy Transition for Whom? Agential Constructivist Analyses of the Governance and Geopolitics of Private Security, Taxation, and New Technologies in Africa’s Critical Minerals Sector.” Forthcoming in Just Extraction and Just Transition: Critical Minerals Extraction and Decarbonization in Africa.
Ofosu-Atuahene, Benjamin. “The Colonial Legacy of Ethnic Partitioning and Predatory Neo-Patrimonialism: Exploring the Dynamics of Private Security in Nigeria.” Forthcoming in African Security (Special Issue).
Ofosu-Atuahene, Benjamin, and Mirriam A. O-Atuahene. “Shadow Norms and the Limits of Transparency: Extractive Governance in Ghana and Nigeria.” Forthcoming in Resources, Environment and Sustainability, special issue on Just Transition and Extractive Frontiers in Africa: Spatial and Environmental Dimensions of Energy Decarbonization.
Ofosu-Atuahene, B. (2021). Private Security Actors in Africa: The Case of Niger Delta & North-Eastern Nigeria in West Africa. Dalhousie University.
Ofosu-Atuahene, B., & O-Atuahene, M. A. (2026, June). “Shadow Norms and the Limits of Transparency: Extractive Governance in Ghana and Nigeria.” Paper presented at the Annual Conference of the Canadian Political Science Association (CPSA).
Grant, J. A., Kaul, B., Ofosu-Atuahene, B., Ogunnubi, O., & Yusuf, B. (2026, June). “The Just Energy Transition for Whom? Agential Constructivist Analyses of the Governance and Geopolitics of Private Security, Taxation, and New Technologies in Africa’s Critical Minerals Sector.” Paper presented at the Annual Conference of the Canadian Political Science Association (CPSA).
Ofosu-Atuahene, B., Grant, J. A., & Ogunnubi, O. (2026, May). “Securing Critical Minerals or Securing People? Security Governance and Canada-Africa Relations in the Just Energy Transition.” Paper presented at Canada’s Africa Strategy, One Year In: Digital Governance, Partnership, and Power in Africa, Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI) and the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs (NPSIA), Ottawa, ON.
May 2024 - Resource Nationalism(s) in the 21st Century Conference: Experiences, Innovations and Debates in the Global South, York University || Paper Presented: Resource Nationalism(s) for Whom? Agential Constructivist Insights from Botswana’s Diamond Sector.
March 2024 - Mapping the Global Dimensions of Policy 13th Annual Conference, McMaster University || Paper Presented: Why Private Security has become unavoidable in West Africa: A Case of Niger Delta Region and North-Eastern Nigeria.