Kofi Ampeah Woode
To conduct an assessment of the participation of the youth of Africa in leadership and peacebuilding through stakeholder consultative engagements, a delegation from the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC), led by its Commandant – Major General (Maj Gen) Richard Addo Gyane, has undertaken a 5-day tour of Nairobi, Kenya.
The broad consultative trip, which was pursued from Monday 4 to Friday 8 March 2024, was part of the “Deepening the Role of Women and Youth in the Implementation of Women and Youth Peace and Security in Africa” project, sponsored by the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA).
The KAIPTC 3-person delegation, which included the Director, Women Youth Peace and Security Institute (WYPSI) – Ms Patience Agyare-Kwabi, and the Senior Programme Officer (Youth) – Mr Edward Akoto-Bamfo, firstly engaged the Student Union President of University of Nairobi – Ms Monicah Malith – a South Sudanese refugee, who briefed of arrangements for a student and youth forum organized specially for the delegation.
Part of the consultative process involved the KAIPTC team meeting with the Secretariat of the National Youth Council (NYC) of Kenya, which was led by the Acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO) – Margaret Kiogora, who made a presentation to the KAIPTC Team on their mission, mandate and initiatives.
The KAIPTC team also dialogued with INTERPEACE, Nairobi, where the Commandant, in a conversation with the Senior Regional Representative for Eastern and Central Africa – Dr. Theo Hollander, used the occasion to further build on issues raised in earlier held meetings in Geneva, as the latter also briefed on his institution’s initiatives in Kenya, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, relative to Women Peace and Security (WPS) and YPS.
Additionally, the KAIPTC team met with SAVE THE CHILDREN at their East and Southern Africa Regional Office, where the leadership of the HORN OF AFRICA YOUTH NETWORK, and the KENYAN YOUTH SENATE, who were present at the engagement, briefed the KAIPTC on their initiatives and interventions.
The Save the Children team led by the Director, Regional Programming Unit – Racheal Amondi, shared highlights of their initiatives in East and Southern Africa, after which they also proposed a review and enhancement of their Memorandum of Understand (MoU) with KAIPTC.
The team later met with Professor Peter Kagwanja – one of the most prominent scholars on Youth in Peace and Security (YPS) in Kenya, to receive his perspectives on the subject of ‘the youth bulge’, after which the Commandant committed KAIPTC, to continually engage the Professor, in future programming of West Africa’s Training Centre of Excellence (TCE).
The KAIPTC team was then hosted by the International Peace Support Training Centre (IPSTC) at their Headquarters in Karen, Nairobi, where Brigadier Joyce C Sitienei – Director of East Africa’s TCE, expressed profound delight in hosting the West African TCE Commandant.
After a briefing on IPSTC’s mission, mandate and activities of the TCE in general, and their work on WPS and YPS in particular, Maj Gen RA Gyane stated that “there are similarities between our two institutions. The only difference is that IPSTC is in the East and KAIPTC is in the West”
The two heads held deliberations on further deepening the relationship between their two institutions to include collaborations in research, training and other programmes, and to explore exchange programmes, after which the KAIPTC Commandant planted a tree to commemorate his visit.
Maj Gen RA Gyane then met with the Commander of the British Peace Support Team, Africa – Colonel (Col) Andrew Pitt; and the two agreed to enhance existing relationships between their institutions.
The KAIPTC delegation later visited the East Africa Standby Force (EASF) Secretariat, where they were received by the Director – Brigadier Paul Kahuria Njema (Rtd), and briefed on the mandate, structure and initiatives of the EASF, relative to WPS and YPS.
A follow-up meeting was held with the Horn of Africa Youth Network, to explore how KAIPTC can take advantage of the regional network, for the attainment of its mandate, as the two parties agreed that KAIPTC will be given access to the membership of the Network.
The Commandant then met with the Vice Chancellor of the University of Nairobi, held a Focus Group Meeting with Students and Youth Leaders at the University of Nairobi, held a follow-up meeting online, with the youth groups engaged earlier, where it was agreed that an outcome document will be authored jointly under the coordination of KAIPTC.
He later participated in the PEOPLE’S DIALOGUE FORUM, held on the premises of the University of Nairobi, which afforded him the opportunity to engage individuals and organizations that had not been engaged earlier during the visit, and also engaged the leadership of political party youth wings, at the forum.
General Gyane then paid a courtesy call on Ghana’s High Commissioner to Kenya – His Excellency Mr Damptey Bediako Asare, who, after being briefed of the KAIPTC’s rational for the trip, elaborated on the importance of including young people in decision-making spaces.
The KAIPTC delegation has since returned to Ghana.
