Kofi Ampeah Woode
The Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) has commenced the 2023 edition of Election Observation Training Course to train election observers be facilitators of mechanisms to anticipate, manage and prevent election related violence in Africa.
Additionally, the International Centre of Excellence also commenced its 20th edition of Disarmament Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR) Foundation Course which aims at enhancing the capacity and effectiveness of United Nations (UN), African Union (AU), Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and National DDR interventions, to perform peace operations, on Monday 6 February, 2023.
The Deputy Commandant, KAIPTC – Air Commodore (A/Cdre) George Arko-Dadzie, speaking at the joint opening ceremonies of the courses quoted His Excellency, Dr. Kofi Annan, former Secretary General of the UN, who said “elections afford citizens the opportunity to decide who governs them, and thereby confer legitimacy and authority on Governments”.
A/Cdre Arko-Dadzie stated that the unpredictable nature of Africa’s electoral fortunes also mean that search must continue for ways of consolidating democratic processes, to make the conduct of periodic elections as routine and uneventful as possible, to prevent violent conflicts, build and sustain lasting peace, particularly in post-conflict countries, as well as in stable democracies.
He further remarked that where an electoral process is perceived as lacking in credibility benchmarks, it puts the overall integrity of the process in jeopardy, and can quickly become the source and cause of unrest, and in some cases, violent conflicts, where the results have ended up at the Courts of Law for arbitration.
Referring to Benin’s successful legislative elections in January 2023, he hoped that the KAIPTC’s efforts at building the capacity of citizens from West Africa and beyond in elections observation, would be put to beneficial uses, as Nigeria and Sierra Leone take their turns in February and August, respectively.
Since 2004, KAIPTC has collaborated with ECOWAS to train over 570 election observers, including retired and serving military officers, police officers, ambassadors/diplomats and members of civil society, A/Cdre said.
On the DDR Foundation Course, the Deputy Commandant said the course will provide participants with a comprehensive, conceptual and operational level understanding of the principles, procedures, and up to date practices involved in the planning, coordination and conduct of DDR programmes and processes.
The Centre of Excellence which deploys the methodology of Problem Based Learning is an active member of Integrated DDR Training Group and is the immediate past Chair of the group, and has graduated over of 800 participants; some of whom are working in UN/AU missions and National DDR Commissions across Africa and at the United Nations Department of Peace Operations (UNDPO) in New York.
The two courses are financed by the Government of Norway.
Present at the opening ceremony were the Director Training, KAIPTC – Colonel Anorph Barnabas Akanbong, Lead Facilitator – Mrs. Pauline Adobea Dadzawa and Course Directors Mr Augustine Owusu and Wing Commander Christian Eshun (Rtd).
