KAIPTC Migration Management Scholars Promise Positive Feedback

By Tarhyang Enowbikah Tabe *

Some over 30 scholars who recently finished an intensive course on Migration Management, have promised the organizers of the course and its partners a positive feedback after the training that lasted from 5-16 of February 2024.

The course was a series of trainings ongoing at the Koffi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre, Accra and was organized in collaboration with the Swiss Government and the Swiss State Secretariat for Migration (SEM).

For two weeks, the participants drawn form countries in West and Central Africa, covered modules in Migration and Human Rights, Migration and Gender, Migration and Development, Security concerns surrounding migration management amongst others.

It was also an opportunity for the participants to take field visits along the Ghana and Togo border towns to have first hand information and learn best practices from migration officers and other stakeholders along that border.

The team of 30 were not only in Ghana for work, but also to explore the rich gastronomy and music of the Ghanaian people to their satisfaction.

The cream of participants included Migration officers, Human Rights Defenders, Journalists, members of the civil society, Gender Protection Units, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Labour and Employment, University lecturers and students from the Institute of Migration Studies from the University of Ghana.

At the end of the training, the spokesperson for the class, Emeka Christian Obiezu, Member of the Society Network on Migration Development from Nigeria took to the rostrum with an eloquent and poetic thank you message to the organizers of the training.

The very dynamic Course Director, Auguster A.F. Ahorsey was hailed by the participants for her excellent coordination qualities, remarkable team spirit, great accommodative nature, exceptional camaraderie touch and unmatched delivery skills.

The participants through the voice of their spokesperson also lauded the quality of trainers which included University dons, experts from International Organization of Migration as well as a retired Brigadier General just to name this few.

Emeka Christian, while insisting that the knowledge gathered will produce very positive feedback, would later salute the distinguished participation of his team mates and could only wished that there was another of such time to spend together in a social learning process.

It should be noted that the opening ceremony on Monday 5 February 2024 was done with Switzerland’s Ambassador to Ghana, Her Excellency Simone Giger as the officiating guest.

Meanwhile, welcome the participants to Ghana and to the Centre in particular, Air Commodore, David Akrong who is Deputy Commandant at KAIPTC, explained that the world is witnessing an era of unprecedented human mobility that neither the current global economic down turn, nor restrictive security measures can halt.

He equally revealed that, properly managed migration could bring benefits to both migrants and societies.

According to the organizers of the course, the course aimed to offer a unique platform for participating practitioners and policy makers to converge not only to enhance their capacities but also to share information and ideas as well as strengthen their resolve to promote effective practices that are fundamental to managing migration and movement patterns in the Regions.

It is this spirit of satisfaction and attainment of the course’s objectives which gave both organizers and participants a mutual success story to narrate and a need for more of such opportunities.

About KAIPTC

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 till date trained and tutored over 15,000 participants and students since its inception.

KAIPTC is one of three institutions designated by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) as a regional Centre of Excellence for the delivery of training and research in the areas of conflict prevention, management and peacebuilding.

The KAIPTC has to date offered over 400 courses in diverse aspects of peace support operations for over 11,000 military, police and civilian personnel.

KAIPTC develops and delivers internationally recognized multidimensional and integrated Peace Support Operations training courses and also collaborates with partners to host peace and security programmes and activities at regional and continental levels.

*Tarhyang Enowbikah Tabe is the Publisher of The Advocate Newspaper in Cameroon, Executive Director of The Cameroon Association of Media Professionals and also one of he participants from Cameroon at the Migration Management Course at the KAIPTC from 5-16 February 2024.