16th Session of West Africa Peacebuilding Institute (WAPI) ends
Accra, September 22, 2017: The 16th session of the West Africa Peacebuilding Institute has come to a close. In all, 53 participants from thirteen countries enrolled in the three-week training programme, jointly organized by the West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP) and the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre.
In attendance were Brig Gen Dr. Emmanuel Kotia, Deputy Commandant of KAIPTC, Mrs. Levinia Addae-Mensah, Programme Director of WANEP, Colonel Robert Affram, Director of Training, KAIPTC and Colonel Anita Asmah, Course Director, KAIPTC.
Mrs Levinia Addae-Mensah, in her closing remarks, reiterated that the underlying aim of the training which was to provoke discussions and inspire the development of new strategies towards the effective implementation of peacebuilding programs and interventions. She encouraged participants to nurture the professional networks they had created and continually engage and share ideas on deepening peacebuilding processes. In addition, she emphasized that WANEP and KAIPTC will continue to develop programs and activities to support the Africa Peace and Security Architecture (APSA) and ensure that their partnership contributes massively to the peace and security landscape on the continent.
Reflecting on the benefits of the training programme, Madam Kamara Soro, a participant from Senegal and the spokesperson for the participants, noted that the training was very informative. She assured the gathering, on behalf of her counterparts, that they would implement the ideas, strategies and skills from the training at their various work places to ensure peace and development. She also commended the facilitators of WANEP for providing them with the necessary materials to facilitate learning, and also expressed gratitude to KAIPTC for a conducive learning environment.
The Deputy Commandant, on his part, challenged participants to transform theory into practice by putting their acquired knowledge to use.