Shama Shah
Partnerships Officer
Shama Shah is an independent consultant, having worked as Security Analyst and
Researcher specializing in counterterrorism and security monitoring, with a regional focus on
East Africa. She brings a multidisciplinary skill set in risk analysis, strategic reporting,
stakeholder management, communication and facilitation, and recruitment. Her experience
spans startups, international security firms, and non-profits operating across Kenya, India, and
the United States.
She has contributed to research projects involving journey threat assessments and pre-market
entry evaluations in the East African region. Shama holds a Masters in Occupational
Psychology from the University of Nottingham (UK) as well as industry-recognized
certifications, including Hostile Environment Awareness Training (HEAT) from the Kofi Annan
International Peacekeeping Training Centre (Ghana) and the International Civilian
Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding Training Programme from the Austrian Centre for Peace
(Austria). Her training also covers infrastructure security, active shooter response, incident
command systems, conflict analysis, and monitoring and evaluation.
Shama’s interests lie at the intersection of humanitarian access, counterterrorism, and
principled negotiation in complex and high-risk environments. She is particularly focused on
how security considerations interact with humanitarian operations and the critical role that
negotiation plays in facilitating access, protecting civilians, and enabling effective response in
fragile contexts. She is deeply interested in the role of strategic negotiation in shaping regional
peace and security, especially in East Africa, where governance, conflict dynamics, and
transnational threats often intersect.
She is currently based in Nairobi, Kenya.
At the IGN she serves as a Partnerhsips Officer (Universities).