Accra-Ghana, July 11, GNA – The Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Centre (KAIPTC) has commenced the 2023 Political Advisor Course for Peace Support Organisations in Africa (PolAd23) for heads of missions and operational commanders.
The objective of the ten-day residential course expected to train Political Advisors for UN Missions in Africa, AU and ECOWAS operations and missions, would have senior civilians (director level), police personnel (superintendent and above), military personnel (Lt. Col. and above) and NGOs either in advisory positions or likely to become PolAds in the coming years.
The course, sixth in a series, organised by KAIPTC in cooperation with the Austrian Federal Ministry of Defence, will enable senior personnel from African countries and organizations to know the core tasks of Political Advisors working on conflict and crisis and improve and enhance the quality of information they provide.
Among others, participants will be taken through Role of a PolAd, the PolAd at Work, Policy Advising in other Actors Operations and Missions, Reporting and Speechwriting, Public Diplomacy, Analytical tools for PolAds, Negotiation and Mediation among other critical areas.
The course will equip participants for United Nation Missions in Africa, African Union and Economic Community of West African State (ECOWAS) military operations/missions and enable senior personnel from African countries and organizations to know the core task(s) of political advisers working on conflicts and crises.
The complexity of the political and security environment in many African regions, where missions and operations are launched makes it challenging for heads of missions and operational commanders to thoroughly assess, monitor and analyze the impact and the political consequences of their actions.
Therefore, it will improve and enhance the quality of information they provide to operation commanders and heads of missions while providing them thorough knowledge of the latest development in African and International Security Policies.
Major General Richard Addo Gyane, the Commandant of KAIPTC, in an address, said the role of the political advisor in a mission was critical for providing the mission leadership with proper analysis of political developments, trends and emerging issues in the country or region and making recommendations on possible policies, strategies and other measures to address issues of concern.
He said it was common knowledge that peace was a critical prerequisite for national, regional and global development, and that the vacuum created by the absence of peace enabled discord and anarchy to prevail, and that resulted in corresponding stagnation and devastation of societies.
Thus, Maj Gen Gyane said the course was being organised to formalise training of Political Advisors for Commanders of Operations and/or Heads of Missions of UN, AU and ECOWAS missions.
“I can assure you that the facilitators on this course, with their diverse backgrounds and rich experience, will definitely strive to equip you with the necessary tools to enable you function effectively and efficiently in your current or future roles as Political Advisors,” he said.
The Commandant added that, “I have no doubt that this training will expose you to internationally required competencies and standards for Political Advisors and I am certain that it will enable you to better understand the dynamics of conflict and crises management in order to function effectively in Multi-Dimensional Peace Support Operations.”
He further urged the participants to put at the disposal of their colleagues and course facilitators, their vast knowledge, expertise and experiences from individual organisations, in order to enrich the delivery of the course to collectively deepen their knowledge and skills for their respective roles when they were eventually deployed on ECOWAS, AU and UN Peace Support Operations.
Counsellor Guenther Barnet, an Official of the Austrian Ministry of Defence, said the issues of insecurity in the West African sub-region was concerning and that the ability of political advisors to deal with such crisis and conflict situations through knowledge and skills acquisition was key.
He said the continuous bilateral ties between Austria and the West African Sub-region was significant as “Africa and Europe are interconnected; they are not divided by the Mediterranean or split by the Mediterranean. Anything that happens in Africa has an outcome or implication on Europe and vice versa.”
Counsellor Barney said in the last six years, the course had been critical in providing leadership with proper analysis of development, trends and emerging issues in their respective countries and making appropriate policies and measures to nipping insecurity concerns in the bud.
Ms. Comfort Whitfield, a participant working with the UN Mission in Mali, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency said, as part of her expectation for the course, she hopes to make critical analysis and apply concepts and techniques of negotiation and mediation for alternate dispute resolution.
