Ambassador Abdel-Fatau Musah is a seasoned diplomat and internationally respected expert in peacebuilding, political affairs, and regional security. With more than two decades of experience in both the United Nations and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), he is currently serving as Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security at ECOWAS, where he leads strategic responses to political crises, conflict prevention, mediation, and electoral governance across West Africa.
Before rejoining ECOWAS, Ambassador Musah served as Director of the West Africa Division in the joint United Nations Departments of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace Operations (DPPA-DPO). In this capacity, he supported peacekeeping and political missions across West Africa and the Sahel and advised the UN system on conflict trends, early warning mechanisms, and political mediation strategies in the region.
From 2016 to 2018, he led the Africa II Division in the UN Department of Political Affairs, managing portfolios covering Central, North, and West Africa. He previously served as Deputy Head of Office and Director of Political Affairs at the UN Office to the African Union (UNOAU), where he steered the UN-AU strategic partnership on peace and security and supported good offices and political mediation in Eastern and Southern Africa.
Ambassador Musah’s earlier tenure at ECOWAS, from 2005 to 2014, was marked by groundbreaking contributions. As Director of Political Affairs, he led the development of the ECOWAS Conflict Prevention Framework (ECPF), the organization’s foundational document on structural and operational conflict prevention. He was instrumental in launching ECOWAS’s Electoral Assistance Division and Mediation Facilitation Division, strengthening institutional capabilities in democracy support and peacebuilding across the sub-region.
Beyond his institutional roles, Amb. Musah has served on the boards and advisory panels of several international organizations and think tanks, including UN Women, International IDEA, Open Society Institute, Center for Democracy and Development (CDD), African Leadership Centre, and the British-American Security Information Council. He has also been a visiting lecturer at leading African and European institutions, contributing scholarly work on peace and security, small arms control, democratization, and the privatization of security in Africa.
Ambassador Musah holds a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Ghana, a Master’s in Mass Communication, and a PhD in International Historical Relations from M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University. He is fluent in English, French, Russian, Hausa, and Twi.
Through his diplomatic leadership, intellectual contributions, and advocacy for African solutions to African challenges, Ambassador Musah continues to shape the peace and security architecture of the continent.
