Kofi Ampeah Woode
The Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) has commenced its 2023 edition of a multinational critical situations survival course dubbed Hostile Environment Awareness Training (HEAT), to train and sensitise military, police and civilian personnel working in unfriendly environments, on types of risks they may be exposed to, especially in a post-war mission surrounding, and provide them with the most pragmatic skills.
HEAT 1, which commenced on Tuesday 2 April 2023, and is financed by the German Government, had the Deputy Commandant, KAIPTC – Air Commodore (A/Cdre) George Arko-Dadzie as the Guest of Honour.
The Deputy Commandant, who shared encounters in various hostile circumstances in Rwanda, Sierra Leone, and former Yugoslavia, said the course would enhance participants’ knowledge on hostile mission environments, increase their skills needed for operating in a hostile Peace Support Operations (PSO) environment, and equip them with knowledge and skills to survive in critical situations.
The course, which will culminate into a final field exercise at the Ghana Army’s Battle Training Camp (BTC), Bundase, in the Greater Accra Region, employs problem-based learning programme, with its delivery through lectures, in-class discussions, brain storming, and the sharing of experiences by participants from various professional backgrounds.
HEAT 1 ’23 is mainly practical, where participants learn about Mines/Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), map reading, navigation, negotiation, and go through practical drill sessions which will be held at the BTC, to ascertain their responses in critical times.
Facilitators are drawn from the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF), the University of Ghana and the KAIPTC, such as Brigadier General Daniel Kwadjo Frimpong (Rtd), Colonel (Col) Henry Nditsi, Col Lawrence Deku, Col Ernest Nyuur, Lieutenant Colonel (Lt Col) Frederick Oppong-Essel, Major Robert Okorley, Dr Joana Larry-Afutu and Dr Philip Nyinaku.
33 participants are drawn from 13 African countries, namely; Benin, Burundi, Cameroun, The Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo, and Zambia, and mission areas such as United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA), and the Multi National Joint Task Force (MNJTF) in Ndjamena, Chad.
Present at the opening ceremony were the Director Training, KAIPTC – Col Anorph Barnabas Akabong, Course Directors – Col Abdullateef Idris and Col Emmanuel Larbi Sarpong Gyadu, and Faculty of Academic Affairs & Research (FAAR) Counterpart – Ms. Rahima Moomin.
By Kofi Ampeah-Woode
