Germany contributions to KAIPTC

Accra, Jan 21, GNA - Germany has provided the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) with more than three million Euros for physical construction and technical equipment like computer-network, internet-connection and multimedia-equipment.

A German Advisory Group (GAG) that assumed office on July 1, 2002, is in charge of escorting this project. After the completion of the physical structure, GAG would train Information Technology (IT) personnel in IT-Networking and IT-Administration.

The Centre is operated as a joint-ownership institution between Ghana and other Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) with the latter contributing staff and instructors. Opportunities also exist, through government - government arrangements for appropriately qualified international staff from friendly Western countries to be attached to the staff of KAIPTC.

KAIPTC is centre for training and research in Peacekeeping and other Peace Support Operations. Its work is pitched at the operational level of decision making to an appropriate audience of military and civilian students.

The KAIPTC would offer "Short Specialist Courses" designed for civil and military executive officers in the areas of civil military cooperation (CIMIC), the defence of human rights in a peacekeeping environment, the establishment of democratic principles and post-conflict good governance and conflict prevention and resolution in Africa.

Seminars and workshops would bring together key practitioners and advocates of Peacekeeping as a means of teasing out doctrine and reviewing historical lessons. There is strong liaison and cooperation between the main donor programmes, centres of strategic thought (Institute of Strategic Studies in South Africa, the African Centre for Strategic Studies and the Centre for African Strategic Research and Dialogue) and regional authorities.

The programme of seminars and workshops is announced on an annual basis with approximately five events per year. Research papers are brought before seminars and workshops and the findings of the meetings are published under the authority of the sponsoring body (UN, ECOWAS). Annually the KAIPTC would run an International Peace Support

Operations (IPSO) course that accepts students from the GAFCSC Advanced Command and Staff Course (ACSC) as well as sponsored students from the rest of Africa (priority to members of ECOWAS) and from donor nations.

This course is a three-week event.