Wadah was born in the Palestinian town of Rama in 1968 to the Khanfar family of Yemenite origin.[7][8] He obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering at the University of Jordan in 1990 and went on to complete a post-graduate degree in philosophy, a diploma in African Studies from Sudan International University and an Honors Degree in International Politics.[9] During this time, Khanfar started a student's union that soon spread to several other universities[10] and an inter-university dialogue group among students constituted from a range of political backgrounds.[11] By 1989, the student's union was playing an active role in debating the future of the democratic process, and Khanfar started making a name for himself as a charismatic and natural leader,[10] helping to organize forums, protests, festivals and demonstrations for student rights.[11]