Civil Society Organizations need to compliment the government and inter-governmental bodies to address and sustain peace building efforts in Africa, Mr. Emmanuel Bombande, Executive Director, West African Network for Peace Building (WANEP), said on Monday.

He said with the general appreciation of the fact that there was an overwhelming need for sustainable peace building work in the region the question of human resource capacity comes into mind.

Mr. Bombande made the call at the opening of the 11th Training Session of the West Africa Peace Building Institute (WAPI) which starts from September 3rd to 21st in Accra.

WAPI, launched in 2002, seeks to increase the knowledge base in West Africa by contributing to research and enhancing the skills and expertise of individuals, organizations and businesses in the area of conflict prevention and peace building.

It also strives to overcome the gap in practice, knowledge and skills in peace building in the sub-region and increase the number of competent, active peace building practitioners in West Africa.

Mr. Bombande said it was important at national levels to get adequate and massive help from stakeholders to support peace building efforts and create the environment for dialogue for peaceful co-existence.

He said WAPI would provide a platform to explore the concept and practice in peace building within the context of the experience of peace building and conflict prevention in West Africa.

The course involves intensive engagement, sharing of experience and knowledge to enhance peace building on the African continent and beyond.

Brigadier General Benjamin Freeman Kusi, Deputy Commandant of the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre, said it was imperative for Africans to develop strong human and institutional capacities to meet the continent’s challenges.

He said the African political landscape had witnessed protracted destabilizing and debilitating conflict of human emergency which had not only destroyed the society but also derailed its legacies.

Brig. Gen. Kusi said this year’s training had been structured to respond adequately to the current and future challenges of peace building in Africa. He urged participants to take advantage of the wealth of experience being shared and contribute to the success of the programme.

Mr. Takwa Zebulon Suifon, Expert, Post Conflict Reconstruction and Peace building Unit of African Union Commission, said peace building was an investment in the future.

He expressed the hope that peace would in future take center stage on the continent.

Thirty participants are taking part in the training from Ghana, Angola, Cameroon, Chad, South Sudan, South Africa, Sudan, Uganda, Tanzania, Niger and Zimbabwe.