(Accra – 5th March, 2026) The Commandant of the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC), Air Vice Marshal David Akrong, has led a delegation from the Centre to pay a courtesy call on Ghana’s Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, to strengthen collaboration on gender and peacebuilding initiatives.
The meeting focused on areas of cooperation between the Centre and the Ministry, particularly in advancing programmes that support women’s leadership, policy engagement and Ghana’s commitments under the global Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda.
During the discussions, Air Vice Marshal Akrong highlighted KAIPTC’s mandate as a leading peacekeeping training and research institution in Africa and outlined the role of the Centre’s Women, Youth, Peace and Security Institute (WYPSI) in promoting inclusive peace and security governance.
He noted that the Centre seeks to deepen its collaboration with the Ministry by bringing its expertise in research, training and policy support to complement the Ministry’s work on gender equality and women’s empowerment.
One of the key proposals discussed was the development of capacity building programmes for women leaders, including women parliamentarians and emerging female leaders. The initiative is expected to strengthen women’s participation in leadership and governance by equipping them with the knowledge and skills required to effectively contribute to policy and decision-making processes.
The meeting also highlighted the need to bridge the gap between grassroots women, particularly queen mothers and community leaders, and national policy processes. Both institutions agreed that stronger engagement platforms are needed to ensure that the perspectives of women at the community level are better reflected in national discussions and development programmes.
Another major area of discussion was the establishment of a national platform on Women, Peace and Security that would bring together key stakeholders to coordinate interventions and strengthen collaboration on issues related to peacebuilding, gender equality and inclusive governance.
The meeting further discussed preparations for Ghana’s next National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security following the expiration of the current plan (2020–2025). Under the proposed collaboration, KAIPTC’s Women, Youth, Peace and Security Institute will be contributing to the development of standard guidelines and provide technical expertise for the formulation of the next action plan.
Ghana’s Gender Minister, Agnes Naa Momo Lartey welcomed the proposed collaboration and acknowledged the role KAIPTC can play in supporting the Ministry’s work through training, research and policy engagement.
The meeting concluded with both institutions agreeing to formalise their partnership through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that will outline key areas of cooperation and pave the way for joint programmes aimed at strengthening women’s participation in
leadership and peacebuilding initiatives in Ghana.