Stephen Mensah-Apenteng, MSc, MPhil
Affiliation: University of Derby
Stephen Mensah-Apenteng is a Ghanaian political scientist and Research Scholar member of the Global Association of Human Trafficking Scholars (GAHTS). His research examines how public institutions, civil society and local communities respond to exploitation, displacement and other threats to human security.
His interest in trafficking emerged through his MPhil in Political Science at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), where he investigated civil society participation in Ghana’s cocoa-sector governance. That work informed his lead-authored 2026 article, “Local Agriculture-Based CSOs’ Impact on Child Trafficking in Ghana’s Cocoa Industry,” which explores the contribution of grassroots organisations to prevention and accountability.
A Commonwealth Shared Scholar at the University of Derby, Stephen completed an MSc in Intelligence, Security and Disaster Management. His dissertation examined protection from violence for people displaced by climate shocks in Northern Ghana, extending his focus to structural vulnerability and institutional responsibility.
Stephen seeks to connect West African evidence with international scholarship on trafficking prevention, child protection and ethical supply chains. He is especially interested in collaborative research that strengthens practical, locally grounded, evidence-informed responses to exploitation.
Research Interests:
Human trafficking, modern slavery and child protection
Migration, refugee protection and forced displacement
Climate-induced displacement and human security
Exploitation and trafficking risks in agricultural and informal economies
Civil society, governance and community-based protection
Cocoa-sector governance, labour exploitation and ethical supply chains
Vulnerability, livelihoods and protection in crisis-affected communities
Evidence-informed trafficking, migration and protection policy in Africa and the wider Global South