KAIPTC’s maiden Stakeholder Dialogue Series – a huge success

KAIPTC’s maiden Stakeholder Dialogue Series – a huge success

The maiden edition of KAIPTC Stakeholder Dialogue Series successfully came off on Wednesday, 10th March, 2021. The event attracted virtual participants from Ghana, Britain, Italy, Turkey, South Africa, to mention a few.

In attendance were on-site were;

  • Maj Gen Francis Ofori, Commandant, the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC)
  • E Hans-Helge Sander Deputy German Ambassador to Ghana;
  • E Gunner Holm, Norwegian Ambassador to Ghana;
  • Commissioner Silver Ojakol, Chief of Staff, AfCFTA Secretariat,
  • Yaw Adu- Gyamfi, President of Association of Ghana Industries
  • Mr Nyame Baafi, Technical Advisor of Multilateral, Regional and Bilateral Trade, Ministry of Trade and Industry (MoTI) represented Mr. Patrick Nimo, the Chief Director of MoTI

 The keynote address and official launch of Dialogue Series was doe by Dr. (Mrs) Mary Chinery – Hesse, a retired International Civil Servant and Chairperson of KAIPTC Goodwill Ambassadors. The second session of the event was a panel discussion on the topic; “The AfCFTA and the Private Sector: Prospects for Sustainable Development and Peace in Africa”.  The panellists were;

  • Mr Ernest Lartey – Researcher & Head, Peace and Security Studies Programme, KAIPTC
  • Madam Fatimah Alimohamed, Chairperson, Agribusiness Sector of the Association of Ghana Industries and CEO, Africa Brand Warrior
  • Mr Nyame Baafi, Technical Advisor of Multilateral, Regional and Bilateral Trade, Ministry of Trade and Industry.
  • Madam Jemila Sedena Abdelvetah, Senior Advisor to the Secretary General, AfCFTA Secretariat

In KAIPTC’s five year strategic Plan (2019 – 2023), the fifth Strategic Objective is “to strengthen collaboration with CSOs, Think Tanks and Private Sector in advancing policy dialogues and improvement in peace operations in Africa”. In pursuit of this specific objective, the Centre, during the period of the strategic phase and beyond, plans to engage the private sector, CSOs and other key stakeholders to explore opportunities and jointly implement initiatives of mutual interest and benefit.

This goal of collaboration and partnership is what birthed the Stakeholder Dialogue Series initiative. The maiden edition was in cooperation with the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI). The choice of the theme was based on the recognition of the nexus between development and peace. This premier edition highlighted the AfCFTA’s agenda to increase intra Africa trade and propel the continent’s long-standing integration and development agenda. The session also dissected how the AfCFTA interfaces with Africa’s security challenges and reflected on the different facets, potential security threats and implications of the implementation of the international trade agreement for the continent.

KAIPTC will draw on relevant recommendations from the event to inform peace and security policies on the Continent and to support the development of new products and services on the nexus between business and peace and security.

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, Twitter 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 recognized institution and has to date trained and tutored over 21, 496 participants and students since its inception.

KAIPTC is a gender-sensitive organization 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.