KAIPTC engages the African Union on its Capacity Needs

 The Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) has engaged the African Union Commission to identify its capacity needs in order to develop tailor-made training programmes, research and other initiatives to address the specific needs of the Commission.

A seven member-team led by Brig Gen Irvine Aryeetey, Deputy Commandant of the Centre, undertook the Capacity Needs Assessment as part of the implementation of the Centre’s 2019 – 2023 strategic plan. The new plan applies a demand-based business model that requires various forms of stakeholder engagements to identify the training needs of key stakeholders. This new way of doing business is to augment the supply-driven approach, which was the modus operandiduring the past strategic phase from 2014 – 2018.

After internal and external stakeholder consultations with key partners locally and continentally, coupled with a thorough assessment of the peace and security environment in Africa, KAIPTC developed a five-year Strategic Plan (2019 – 2023). Thus, the Capacity Needs Assessment is part of the new approach of the Centre to be more responsive to emerging threats and challenges faced by its partners, mainly the African Union and the ECOWAS Commission, to name a few.

Elaborating further on the new strategic phase of the Centre during meetings with departments at the AUC, the Deputy Commandant noted that; “KAIPTC has taken a decision to engage more strategically with its key stakeholders and clients to know their needs so that the relevant interventions in training and other initiatives can be jointly developed to meet the identified needs and gaps”.

He added that periodic Capacity Needs Assessments will be held to ensure the Centre remains responsive and relevant in an increasingly competitive environment.

The team engaged with approximately 13 departments and units within the AUC. Various areas of need were identified in Training, Research, Capacity Enhancement and Women Peace and Security issues.  Recommendations from the meetings will inform the delivery of tailor-made training and research to support the AUC to achieve their mandate of ensuring peace and security Africa.

The team also used the opportunity to pay a courtesy call on the Deputy Chairperson of the AUC to strengthen the Centre’s collaboration with the African Union Commission.

For further information, please contact the Corporate Affairs Unit of the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) on +233302-718200 ext 1104/1203 or +233 550 303030. You can find the KAIPTC on Facebook and twitter as: @Kaiptcgh. You can further find out more about the KAIPTC on our website: www.kaiptc.org.

About the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre:

The Ghana Ministry of Defence (MoD) established the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) in 1998 and commissioned it in 2004. The purpose was to build upon and share Ghana’s five decades of internationally acclaimed experience and competence in peace operations with other states in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) region and the rest of Africa. This was in recognition of the need for training military, police and civilian men and women to meet the changing demands of multidimensional peace operations. The Centre is one of the three (3) Peacekeeping Training Centres of Excellence mandated by the ECOWAS to offer training in peacekeeping and peace support operations (PSO) in Africa.

The Centre delivers training courses in three thematic areas; Peace Support Operations, Conflict Management and Peace and Security Studies and also runs Masters and PhD programmes in same. The KAIPTC has a world-class research department that undertakes research in the thematic areas in Peace and Security. Located in Accra, Ghana, the KAIPTC is an internationally recognised institution and has to date trained and tutored over 21, 496 participants and students since its inception.

KAIPTC is a gender-sensitive organisation and committed to gender equality. Following the launch of its gender policy in 2014, the Centre has mainstreamed gender into its policies and programmes, and integrates same in its focal areas, namely training, research and postgraduate education. The Centre has developed a Sexual Harassment policy and fully oriented employees on same. It has also provided a Nursing and Childcare Centre and instituted a paternity leave policy, all with the aim to create a conducive work environment at KAIPTC.