The Director of Training at the Kofi Annan International Peace Keeping Training Centre (KAIPTC), Colonel Anorph Barnabas Akanbon, has entreated personnel of the various security agencies to continue to collaborate and work towards consolidating the prevailing peace and stability in the country.
“As we head to the December 2024 polls, the good people of Ghana and our friends across the world once again have a lot of expectation of us. They expect us to fulfil our constitutional mandate of maintaining law and order as well as protecting lives and property before, during and after the elections “he pointed out.
He commended the security agencies for their commitment and great sense of duty to the nation.
Col Akanbon said this at the opening of a five-day intensive course to build the capacity of security officers in electoral violence and security issues in Tamale, the Northern Regional capital, last Tuesday.
Organised by the KAIPTC in partnership with the German Foreign Ministry, the course sought to address electoral violence by equipping law enforcement agencies with effective prevention, management and response strategies.
It also aimed at enhancing the capacity of security services to safeguard the electoral process to ensure free, fair and incident free elections.
About 100 officers drawn from the Ghana Police Service, Ghana Armed Forces, Ghana Immigration Service, Ghana Fire Service, among others, are participating in the training programme.
Participants were taken through topics such as electoral cycle, conflict management, leadership in elections security management, human rights, operational order management and community policing, among others.
Col Akanbong said the course would prepare the security agencies to adequately discharge their duties effectively during, before and after the December polls.
In addition, he said the blend of personnel from the various security agencies would enhance institutional unity, coordination and foster effective deployment across the country.
For his part, the Northern Regional Police Commander, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Tuaruka Duuti, urged the participants to take the training seriously to enhance their knowledge, skills and competence in election related issues.
He said “Ghana is regarded as a beacon of democracy, and we cannot afford to let it backslide on our watch”