KAIPTC, Germany roll out innovative leadership development training for senior female security officers
Accra, 4th December, 2020: For 60 women leaders and managers selected from various security agencies, their enrollment onto the Women’s Leadership Development Programme (WLDP) has been a period of self-discovery and an immeasurable boost to their competence and impact as leaders. Organized by the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) with sponsorship from the Federal Government of Germany, the WLDP enables women to develop critical skills in self-leadership, to be sensitive and aware of key dynamics when taking decisions across a wide range of contexts and circumstances, and also empowers them to become effective, agile and conscious leaders in their organizations.
At the closing ceremony held on 3rdDecember 2020 to officially close the programme for the year, the Commandant of KAIPTC noted that “this leadership development programme is a particularly great fit with the KAIPTC portfolio and a testimonial to the capability of KAIPTC and its partners to deliver world-class transformational leadership development programmes that prepare leaders, in this case women leaders, to take up senior leadership roles”.
He added that the programme was timely in the context of the celebration of the 20thanniversary of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security recently some weeks ago. He said that Ghana needs more women in the most senior ranks and positions in the security sector and in other spheres of life and noted the noble contribution KAIPTC and the German government was making towards this endeavor.
The female leaders who were selected from the Ghana Armed Forces, the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), the Ghana Fire Service, the Ghana Immigration Service, the Ghana Police and Prison Services, and selected staff of KAIPTC, gave glowing testimonials about the uniqueness of the programme. A Senior officer in the Ghana Prisons Service said; “The course was very useful and relevant as far as leadership is concerned, and especially for us as women. The content was excellent and the facilitators were very innovative and interactive. In relation to its value to my current work, I am convinced it is really going to impact my style of leadership in the work environment and my personal goals. I know I am going to pay more attention to the stakeholders in my space. This programme has been an eye-opener and offers excellent direction in empowering women on their leadership journey”.
Madam Elizabeth Efua Melfah, a Customs Officer of the GRA also notes that “the course has really changed my perception of who a leader should be. One of its emphasis is on you as a person, and working on yourself as an individual and looking within to regain where your energy has been wasted, and channeling it back into strengths to re-strategize to be a positive impact on your team. The facilitators have been wonderful, imparting so much skill and expertise with such clarity and simplicity. I will not hesitate to come back for the next course and any other which might follow”.
The Representative of the German Embassy, Mr. Moritz Fisher, also noted that Germany’s support to the programme is a further testimonial of its commitment to gender equity and to the area of international security. He encouraged the participants to use the information, renewed mindsets and competencies for the greater good of Ghana and Africa.
Recognizing that today’s leaders are required to anticipate and address complex challenges involving multiple stakeholders whiles navigating the tensions and ambiguities that characterize the world of work, KAIPTC and the Federal Government of Germany designed the programme to provide the skills and competencies for women leaders in the security sector to advance their careers and to prepare them to assume senior leadership positions in their respective agencies.
The second edition of the programme begun in March 2020 and is structured in three phases; the first phase focuses on personal leadership andemphasizes on communication, dealing with emotions and the embodiment of leadership. For the second phase, participants are required to complete an online leadership development and decision-making assessment exercise. The third phase focuses on managing and navigating complexity, decision-making, strategic communication and negotiation.
What stands the programme apart from many in its stable is its approach; it is highly practical and experiential and departs from the typical classroom and lecturing methodology. The facilitators are celebrated experts and coaches from Ghana and Europe who have specialized in women and security sector leadership and who have a combined experience of 77 years.
The facilitators comprise Blanka Bellak PhD, Ms. Maureen Brown and Ms. Ama Duncan. Dr. Bellak specializes in neuroscience-based approaches that facilitate personal transformations. In 2017, Dr. Bellak founded Leadership Associates, a boutique leadership consultancy that provides services to the leading international security agencies such as the NATO and OSCE, to the UN, and to the private sector. Maureen Brown, QPM, is a former UK Chief Police Officer with a breadth of experience in senior leadership roles. Following her successful national police career, she has provided strategic advice to senior government officials and police leaders within the EU and internationally. A mentor on EU and UN programmes, Maureen has developed and conducted international leadership and development programmes worldwide. Ama Duncan is the Founder of The Fabulous Woman Network (The FWN); through this network, she has organised entrepreneurial development events for over 5000 women. With over 13 years’ experience in corporate training, Ama has trained over 2000 professionals on leadership, team building and other subjects. She regularly facilitates trainings for GIZ, the British Council, CAMFED and NBU Hub, among others. She coaches and mentors women and the youth, speaks on radio, television and conferences, is an author, an Access Bank W Ambassador and a 2017 Mandela Washington Fellow.
Since the maiden edition in 2019, almost 100 women have successfully completed the programme.
For further information, please contact the Corporate Affairs Unit of the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) on +233 302 718200 ext 1104/1203. You can find the KAIPTC on Facebook and Youtube as: @Kaiptcgh and on instagram @Kaiptc. You can further find out more about the KAIPTC on our website: www.kaiptc.org.
About the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre:
The Ghana Ministry of Defence (MoD) established the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) in 1998 and commissioned it in 2004. The purpose was to build upon and share Ghana’s five decades of internationally acclaimed experience and competence in peace operations with other states in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) region and the rest of Africa. This was in recognition of the need for training military, police and civilian men and women to meet the changing demands of multidimensional peace operations. The Centre is one of the three (3) Peacekeeping Training Centres of Excellence mandated by the ECOWAS to offer training in peacekeeping and peace support operations (PSO) in Africa.
The Centre delivers training courses in three thematic areas; Peace Support Operations, Conflict Management and Peace and Security Studies and also runs Masters and PhD programmes in same. The KAIPTC has a world-class research department that undertakes research in the thematic areas in Peace and Security. Located in Accra, Ghana, the KAIPTC is an internationally recognised institution and has to date trained and tutored over 21, 496 participants and students since its inception.
KAIPTC is a gender-sensitive organisation and committed to gender equality. Following the launch of its gender policy in 2014, the Centre has mainstreamed gender into its policies and programmes, and integrates same in its focal areas, namely training, research and postgraduate education. The Centre has developed a Sexual Harassment policy and fully oriented employees on same. It has also provided a Nursing and Childcare Centre and instituted a paternity leave policy, all with the aim to create a conducive work environment at KAIPTC.