Peacebuilding experts meet in Accra

Participants from ECOWAS countries have converged at the Kofi Annan Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) in Accra for the 14th session of the West Africa Peacebuilding Institute (WAPI) which is orgnised by the West African Networking for Peacebuilding (WANEP).

The programme, which is in collaboration with KAIPTC, brought together experts in conflict prevention from the sub region as well as persons involved in conflict management.

Speaking at the opening of the 14-day conference, Mr Chukuemeka Eze, Executive Director, WANEP Ghana, said since the inception of the WAPI programme in 2002, it had trained about 450 peace building, development practitioners, government and intergovernmental organization officials,  politicians, diplomats as well as students in various courses.

He said the programme aimed at supporting ECOWAS’s conflict prevention agenda, which would in turn reinforce and strengthen the African Union’s peace and security framework.

He said the numerous supports WANEP had received from development partners had helped the organization to redefine the landscape of peace and security, especially in the quest for a home grown solution to the challenges of Africa.

He noted that although the workshop would only last for two weeks, the courses selected would impact positively on the participants and also respond to key challenges relating to effective conflict resolution as well as serve as the missing links in the peacebuiding quest of the sub region.

“We have had to tweak the course outline and improved on some modules in order to meet the aspirations of the participants and the communities in which we serve,” he added.

He said the 14th session would enable participants undertake courses in Conflict Analysis in Early Warning, Peace building Programme Design, Implementation, Monitoring and Evaluation, Human Security in Natural Resource Management, Dialogue and Mediation among others.

Mr Eze indicated that the faculty also represented practitioners and experts who were very much versed in the courses chosen for the participants, which would help to deepen their knowledge.

He added that WAPI provided an interactive forum for the participants to share, explore and discuss concepts and issues related to peace and security, including programme designs and their implementation processes.

Major General Obed Akwa, Commandant, KAIPTC, praised WANEP for the establishment of WAPI which had served as the platform for offering specialized and intensive training to peace building practitioners, civil society, government and the general public for the past 14 years.

He noted that KAIPTC had renewed its partnership with WANEP for another five years, adding that a key element of the partnership was to develop courses and training that responded effectively to the changing face of conflict in West Africa.

“This is a reflection of the ever –deepening relationship between KAIPTC and WANEP and the contributions of these two institutions in promoting and ensuring sustainable peace within the sub region through dialogue, mediation, development mechanisms among others”, he added.

He said the consistency and the quality of training received by participants only reiterated the astuteness, dedication and commitment of the faculty of both past and present officers and staff of the Centre.

GNA