Context
The African Peace and Security Architecture was established by the African Union (AU) as a framework for strengthening the capacities of African countries to carry out conflict prevention and peacekeeping operations. This includes the development of the multidimensional African Standby Force (ASF). The process is being implemented by five Regional Economic Communities, each of which contributes its own regional standby forces to the ASF. Among these, the Economic Community of West African States is responsible for the development of the ECOWAS Standby Force (ESF).
The African Peace and Security Architecture requires well qualified civilian, police and military personnel; it addresses areas of crisis prevention, ranging from conflict management to post-conflict reconstruction. The Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) is one of three Training Centres of TCEs) recognised by ECOWAS in West Africa, alongside the National Defence College in Nigeria (NDC) and the École de Maintien de la Paix (EMP) in Mali. It prepares civilian experts, police and military staff for their roles in regional and continental missions, including Peace Support Operations and Election Observation Missions.
Germany has been supporting KAIPTC since its formation in 2004, with support provided on the ground since 2006 by the GIZ project.
Objective
KAIPTC trains personnel for deployment in peace missions and crisis prevention measures throughout Africa. Its work is demand-oriented and meets international standards; it is based on a strategy of sustainability and results-oriented management.
Approach
GIZ supports KAIPTC in four priority areas.
1. Strengthening the efficiency and sustainability of institutional structures and processes
2. Strengthening regional cooperation with client organisations
3. Increasing the efficiency and results-orientation of civilian training courses
4. Improving the management and results-orientated monitoring of KAIPTC-alumni with a Learning Management System
GIZ combines financial support with process, management and organisational advice, in the following areas.
• Introduction of processes, such as the Monitoring and Evaluation system which enables KAIPTC to work efficiently and effectively. At the same time, the project is strengthening KAIPTC’s institutional competences and capacities. By ensuring its competitiveness and quality, this will enhance its strategic position in the market for Peacekeeping Training Centres in Africa
• Support for civilian training courses, with an increasing proportion of women taking part and greater demand-orientation of the courses
• Promotion of regional cooperation and better coordination between KAIPTC and other regional and continental actors, such as the other Training Centres of Excellence, ECOWAS, the AU and the United Nations (UN)
• Introduction of the Learning Management System (LMS) for alumni. The system has five components: an alumni platform, a database, e-learning, course management, and monitoring and evaluation. With the assistance of a consultant company, Common Sense, the LMS is optimising the Centre’s internal processes and its external communications. This in turn will improve the management of the training courses and further systemise the relationship between KAIPTC and its alumni.
Results
Due to the improved cooperation with user organisations, such as ECOWAS, the AU and the UN, the number of KAIPTC-trained civilian experts deployed in Peace Support Operations has increased. Noteworthy is the collaboration with the Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration course, which is supported by GIZ. The UN and the AU played a key role in developing, implementing and assessing this course, as a result of which they now send more of their own staff to KAIPTC for training, and pay their course fees.
In response to the acute need for human rights experts in the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali, KAIPTC has developed a Human Rights Course, with support from the GIZ project. This course will start early in 2015.
Good results have also been achieved in the field of election observation. Between 2009 and 2013, some 114 KAIPTC-trained election observers made a decisive contribution to the success of ECOWAS Election Observation Missions in Mali, Togo, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Liberia, Benin, Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Senegal and Ghana.
The publication of a Gender Policy has done much to improve gender mainstreaming at KAIPTC. Gender-relevant course content has now been included in the curricula.
Following the joint development of a Monitoring and Evaluation System, KAIPTC now uses results-oriented work plans when carrying out its activities, and it evaluates its results on a quarterly basis. This Capacity Development process is also supported with training for staff.
As part of the regional cooperation, joint planning meetings and study visits undertaken with the ECOWAS Commission and other stakeholders have helped improve coordination and harmonisation within the African Peace and Security Architecture. New Organisational Development processes have done much to strengthen KAIPTC’s market position.