Abigail Kabandula

Dr Abigail Kabandula is the Director of the Africa Center at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies, University of Denver. Her research and teaching delve into global governance and human security in Africa, focusing on understanding the root causes of conflict and fragility. She examines topics such as terrorism, prevention of violent extremism/countering violent extremism, and the effectiveness of multilateral responses to crises especially through peace operations and special political missions. Abigail has contributed extensively to the discourse on the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA), the role of African Union peacekeeping, and the interplay between Africa's engagement with rising powers such as China and Turkey. She has also explored the dynamics of inter-regional interaction between the Horn of Africa and the Middle East (Gulf States), as well as the cooperation between the African Union and the United Nations on security issues. Abigail's expertise extends to gender and peacekeeping, and the politics of welfare policy reform in Zambia. She holds a doctoral degree in Global Governance and Human Security from the John W. McCormack Graduate School of Policy and Global Studies at the University of Massachusetts, dual master's degrees in Global Governance and Human Security from UMass Boston, and Historical Studies from the University of Cape Town (UCT). Abigail also earned an honors degree in Social Sciences from UCT and a bachelor's degree from the University of Zambia.