The Centre held its 14th Joint Graduation Ceremony, underscoring its continued role in building professional capacity for peace and security across Africa.
A total of 101 students from Ghana, Nigeria, and Zambia graduated with postgraduate degrees in Conflict, Peace and Security, and Gender, Peace and Security. The cohort included one female PhD graduate, the only doctoral graduate in 2025 and the second woman to complete the Doctorate programme at KAIPTC since its inception in 2015.
The ceremony was held under the theme “Building African Agency for Peace and Security in a Changing World,” highlighting the need for African-led responses to evolving global and regional security challenges.
The Vice President of Ghana was represented at the ceremony by the Chief of Staff at the Office of the Vice President, Hon. Alex Segbefia, who served as Guest of Honour. In his address, he emphasized the importance of African agency in global peace and security governance.
He noted that Africa must play a more proactive and confident role in shaping its own peace and security outcomes and encouraged graduates to apply their training toward strengthening governance, stability, and development on the continent. Hon. Segbefia commended the Ghana Armed Forces and the leadership of KAIPTC for sustaining a centre of excellence dedicated to peacebuilding and international peace support operations.
The keynote address was delivered by Mr. Emmanuel Hakuba Bombande, former Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration and Co-Founder of the West African Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP). He underscored the importance of leadership, justice, and institutional trust in sustaining peace.
Mr. Bombande encouraged the graduates to apply the knowledge acquired at KAIPTC to strengthen peace and stability at national and regional levels. He emphasized that sustainable peace is grounded in justice, fairness, equity, and inclusion, particularly gender inclusion. He also cautioned against declining public trust in state institutions, citing experiences from parts of West Africa and Southern Africa, and stressed the need for accountable leadership that upholds justice and cultural values, especially within rural communities.
In his welcome address, the Acting Commandant of KAIPTC, Air Commodore David Anetey Akrong, highlighted the Centre’s commitment to producing graduates equipped to address Africa’s complex peace and security challenges.
He stated that the graduating students had acquired the skills and analytical capacity to develop innovative, context-specific solutions to challenges such as violent extremism, terrorism, transnational organized crime, weak natural resource governance, and democratic reversals. He also noted KAIPTC’s growing regional and global recognition for its contributions to peacekeeping training and policy-oriented research.
Outstanding academic performance was also recognized during the ceremony. Mr. Prosper Basommi Laari was awarded Best Graduating Student in the MA Gender, Peace and Security programme and emerged as the Overall Best Graduating Student. Madam Elizabeth Jenelle Acquah received the award for Best Graduating Student in the MA Conflict, Peace and Security programme.