Accra,- The ECOWAS leadership and mentoring workshop to enhance capacity of operational level leaders, especially women on leadership and mentoring is underway in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.
The workshop, which is being organised by the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) in collaboration with ECOWAS, brought together operational-level female and male staff of partner organizations within the ECOWAS sub-region, especially those working on women, peace and security, as well as those working on issues within the peace, security, gender and political affairs domains.
The KAIPTC, through its Women, Peace and Security Institute (WPSI), and with funding support from the project on ‘Promoting Peace and Security in Africa: Danish Support to KAIPTC 2021 – 2022’, is organising the five-day Women in Peace and Security Mentoring Course to middle to senior level staff of partner organizations as well as networks and civil society that focus on Women, Peace and Security.
The leadership and mentoring training would provide an opportunity for the participants to harness their leadership skills by understanding leadership as a process, and equip them with the basic knowledge to provide leadership and mentoring.
Major General Francis Ofori, the Commandant, KAIPTC, in a speech read on his behalf, said the training programme aimed at further promoting the implementation of the Women Peace and Security Agenda in Africa.
He said the Women in Peace and Security Mentoring Course forms part of the KAIPTC’s efforts at providing targeted training for persons, most especially women working in the peace and security environment in Africa.
He said it was an offshoot of the year-long Inspiring African Women Leaders in Peace and Security Programme developed by WPSI in 2019.
He said however, this session provided a shorter training path, but without doubt offered participants a unique opportunity to enhance their skills in leadership and mentoring.
He noted that the two programmes formed part of the KAIPTC’s Women Support Scheme.
Major General Ofori said the purpose of the scheme among others was to support the operationalization of the WPS Agenda through targeted training to increase capacity-building and networking opportunities for women.
“In recent years, there has been a call to move beyond the rhetoric and tokenism of female participation in peace processes and to create opportunities that ensure the meaningful participation of women,” he stated.
“It is our hope that through this training, participants will be able to enhance their skills, leverage their power, networks and alliances, and influence decision making in the peace and security environment.”
He said in addition to participants sharpening their leaderships skills, they would also be able to have the appropriate tools to pass on these skills to the next generation.
Mrs Joana Osei-Tutu, Head of Women Peace and Security Institute, KAIPTC, said this year’s edition of the programme, which was for anglophone countries was being attended by participants drawn from Ghana, Sierra Leone, Liberia and the Ivory Coast,
adding that they hoped to have a francophone version in a different country next year.
Dr Fiifi Edu-Afful, Senior Research Fellow and Deputy Programme Head, Peace Support Operations, KAIPTC, said the programme, which was two year programme been implemented by the KAIPTC with funding support from the Danish Government, seeks to enhance the capacity of participants to lead in the promotion of the Women, Peace and Security agenda in the ECOWAS Region.
Source: Ghana News Agency
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