Standardised gender training manual for GAF outdoored

 By Konrad Kodjo DJAISI

A training of trainers course for Ghana Armed Forces Training Instructors and Gender Advisors on the Standardised Gender Training Manual for Armed Forces Training Schools commenced at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) on 7th October, 2024.

In his welcome address, the Commandant of KAIPTC, Major-General Richard Addo Gyane, said the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) participated in the Measuring Opportunities for Women in Peace Operations (MOWIP) from September 2019 – February 2020.

The MOWIP report revealed three barriers which limit GAF uniformed women’s meaningful participation in UN peace operations. These are the eligible pool, gender roles and social exclusion.

Considerable strategic approaches to address the gaps identified gave birth to a project dubbed ‘Enhancing Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) Capabilities to Address Barriers to Women in Peacekeeping’, the KAIPTC Commandant stated.

“In view of this, the Women, Youth, Peace and Security Institute – with support from GAF staff – embarked on a sensitisation tour in the various garrisons of GAF to sensitise personnel on the need to mainstream gender into GAF policies, structures and training programmes to create equal rights and opportunity for both men and women in the services.”

Two consultative meetings were held at the KAIPTC with stakeholders from GAF training schools to make key decisions and define a road-map for the development of standardised gender-sensitive training manual for GAF’s training schools.

Both meetings presented a common platform where participants deliberated on the roles and expectations of personnel and their gendered training needs which informed the design of this appropriate gender training manual for GAF training schools.

With approval from the High Command of the Ghana Armed Forces, a total of sixty (60) training instructors and gender advisors selected across the various training schools will be trained to effectively use the manual in their various schools.

‘Integrating gender perspective into GAF training schools will, among others, give an opportunity to new recruits to learn and appreciate the concepts of gender as they join GAF and run through the ranks to the top level where critical gender decisions are made to ensure inclusivity and promote gender equality and women’s empowerment in GAF.”

This specialised training of trainers (ToTs) series for instructors of the Ghana Armed Forces is part of a bilateral partnership between Canada and the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF), implemented by the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC), under the Elsie Initiative for Women in Peace Operations.

Recognising that conflict affects women, men, boys and girls in different ways is why Canada and Ghana are committed to the Women, Peace and Security agenda, adopted by the United Nations Security Council in 2000.

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