The Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) has ended a five-day Special Election Observation Training Course for over 34 Ghanaian, Togolese, Liberian and Congolese participants.

The participants were drawn from the Ghana Armed Forces, Parliament of Ghana, High Commissions of Nigeria and Liberia, Governmental Organizations, and the Private Sector who were also past and present students of its academic programmes.

A statement issued by the KAIPTC and copied to the Ghana News Agency on Friday said the overarching goal of the five-day course was to enhance the knowledge and technical capacity of civilians in election observation in West Africa so that they could effectively contribute to Elections in Ghana and within the continent of Africa.

Additionally, the course equipped participants with the tools and skills necessary to enhance the integrity and credibility of elections and reduce the potential for election related violence, whilst facilitating an increase in the contribution of civilian experts to UN’s and continental efforts at preventing elections related conflict/violence.

Among others, participants were taken through topics such as Introduction to Democracy, Elections and election Observation, Electoral systems, Types of Observer Missions, Organizing an Observer Mission, International Observation as an enhancer and facilitator of Peace, Security and good governance.

Opening the Course, Air Commodore Julius Dzamefe, the Deputy Commandant of the KAIPTC, commended the participants for demonstrating their avid interest in the course by availing themselves to be trained so that they could contribute their quota in ensuring that elections are held under an atmosphere that would lend credibility to its outcome.

He assured participants of excellent delivery of the course by facilitators, noting that “this Centre has an enviable position of ensuring its courses are conducted meaningfully using a blend of veteran electoral practitioners, subject matter experts and academicians who come from the Ghana Electoral Commission, the Universities and the Ghana Armed Forces”.

The Centre, by its mandate, plays a critical role in Peace and Security in Ghana, the sub-region, across Africa and the rest of the world.

With 2016 being an election year in Ghana, the KAIPTC, is committed to strengthening the foundational processes that are key to a peaceful and conflict-free electoral process.

This initiative by the Centre to provide training is therefore a natural and national obligation, given the Centre’s mission to provide globally-recognised capacity for international actors on African Peace and Security through training, education and research to foster peace and stability in Africa.

In order to ensure that elections are held free and fair without violence, the KAIPTC has since 2004 conducted Election Observation Training and has since become the leading institution in the African region that offers training in election observation.

To date, the KAIPTC Election Observation Training programme has trained over 347 observers many of whom have been deployed on observation missions by ECOWAS and other international missions.