Kofi Annan - Afrikan Heroes

Kofi Annan Award for Innovation in Africa Names Winners

July 18, 2022

The Kofi Annan Award for tech innovation in Africa has named three startups from Kenya, Nigeria and Zimbabwe as winners of the first Kofi Annan Award for Innovation in Africa, and will each receive EUR250,000 (US$250,000) in grants, international visibility and long-term mentoring.

With its focus on the rapid digitisation on the African continent, the Kofi Annan Award aims to contribute to the achievement of UN Sustainable Development Goal 3 – “Good Health and Wellbeing”. It challenges more traditional developmental approaches and focuses on innovative, disruptive, and entrepreneurial approaches to overcome global challenges.

More than 330 applications were received from 38 African countries, and last week an awards event was organised in Vienna at the Austrian Academy of Sciences. The event took place under the aegis of Austrian Federal Chancellor Karl Nehammer and with the participation of members of the high-level jury, as well as national and international guests.

The three startups named winners were Kenya’s Flare, which uses a digital platform to coordinate ambulance services within minutes; Nigeria’s MOBicure, whose myPaddi service is a discreet counseling network that aims to increase the sexual health of young people; and Zimbabwe’s Vaxiglobal, an online solution that aims to facilitate broadly effective vaccination campaigns.

Each winner will receive EUR250,000 (US$250,000) in grant funding, as well as access to international visibility and long-term mentoring.

“With the Kofi Annan Award, the Federal Chancellery not only supports innovative startups from Africa with EUR250,000 euros each but also helps them gain centre stage. In this way, we are giving them the chance to network with experienced companies and to drive their projects and ideas forward even more effectively. It is a true pleasure and honor to be the patron of this great initiative. I wish the winners all the best and much success in their future endeavours,” said Nehammer.

Kelechi Deca

Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry

African Leaders Converge in Accra to Discuss Peace and Security in Honour of Kofi Annan.

September 17, 2019

Leaders of all categories from across the African continent have converged in Accra, Ghana under the aegis of the Kofi Annan International Peace Keeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) for the maiden edition of the Kofi Annan Peace and Security (KAPS) Forum aimed at facilitating discussions on evolving trends in peace and security in Africa. The forum was organized to honour the sterling achievements of H.E. the late Kofi Annan and to immortalize his memory.

Kofi Annan International Peace Keeping Training Centre (KAIPTC)

Themed ‘Peace Operations in the Context of Violent Extremism in Africa’, the forum was held under the Distinguished patronage of H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, President of the Republic of Ghana and the Chairmanship of H.E. Dr. Mohamed Ibn Chambas, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General and Head of the UN Office for West Africa and Sahel (UNOWAS).

Those attending the event are seven former African Heads of State namely; H.E. Pierre Buyoya, Former President of Burundi and AU High Representative to Mali and Sahel (MISAHEL), H.E Catharine Samba-Panza, Former President of Central African Republic, H.E. Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, Former President of the Federal Republic of Somalia, H.E. Dr Ernest Bai Koroma, Former President of Sierra Leone, Professor Amos Claudius Sawyer, Former President of Liberia, H.E. Olusegun Obasanjo, Former President of Nigeria and H.E. John Dramani Mahama, Former President of Ghana.

Addressing the delegates at the opening ceremony, the Commandant of KAIPTC, Air Vice Marshall Griffiths S. Evans who sharing the rationale behind the forum said that it seeks to provide a platform for robust engagement on critical peace and security issues affecting the African continent. “Our actions are guided by our mission to foster peace and stability through the provision of a globally-recognized capacity and policy support for all actors on African peace and security issues”, he stated. In his address, the President of the Republic of Ghana, H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, identified key interventions which can be implemented to tackle violent extremism. According to him, “it is important that we promote and develop, on the continent, a system and culture of accountable governance, free of corruption, whereby our people are governed in accordance with the rule of law, respect for individual liberties and human rights, and the principles of democratic accountability”, he stressed.

Throwing more light on Ghana’s counter terrorism policy to combat violent extremism, he pointed out that “our Counter Terrorism Policy seeks to prevent acts of terrorism in the country. The Counter Terrorism Policy has led to the setting up of a Counter Terrorism Unit, within the National Security Council Secretariat, to lead and co-ordinate our efforts in the fight. Ghana has adopted a well-coordinated Inter Agency Approach, which encourages the timely sharing of information and intelligence, operational coordination and joint strategy formulation, and has proved essential towards ensuring the efficient execution of the country’s Counter Terrorism Policy”, he explained.

The Kofi Annan Forum brought together over two hundred high-level delegates and diplomats from governmental and intergovernmental organizations (including the African Union and its Regional Economic Communities, United Nations and European Union). Security professionals and representatives from policy and research think tanks, development partners, training institutions and civil society groups were all present to participate in the dialogues.

The forum also seeks to deepen the collaboration between KAIPTC and international organisations such as the United Nations, African Union, Regional Economic Communities, Governments, development partners, civil society organisations and the business community.

Kelechi Deca

Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry.

Germany, Norway support Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre’s (KAIPTC) maiden ‘Kofi Annan Peace and Security Forum’

July 25, 2019

On 4 – 5 September 2019, the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC), under the distinguished patronage of H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, President of the Republic of Ghana and the Chairmanship of HE Dr. Mohamed Ibn Chambas, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General and Head of the UN Office for West Africa and Sahel (UNOWAS), will host “The Kofi Annan Peace and Security (KAPS) Forum”.

The Federal Government of Germany and the Government of Norway are providing financial support for the delivery of the forum. Billed to be an annual event, the KAPS Forum will bring together political leaders, diplomats and experts to dialogue and share ideas on the most critical evolving peace and security trends on the African continent.

The forum also seeks to deepen collaboration between KAIPTC and international organizations such as the United Nations, African Union, Regional Economic Communities, Governments, development partners, civil society organizations and the business community.

The theme for this maiden edition is ‘Peace Operations in the Context of Violent Extremism in Africa.’

Speaking at the media briefing for the KAPS Forum, H.E. Hans-Helge Sander, Deputy German Ambassador to Ghana noted that; “This Forum will provide an excellent occasion to discuss collective actions on how to strengthen a proactive international and continental effort to prevent and effectively counter violent extremism in Africa”.

The Deputy Ambassador also briefed the media on Germany’s long-standing and strong support to KAIPTC through the provision of Police and Military Advisors as well as a GIZ support mission. “Because of the already existing support the German government offers, we are delighted to support KAIPTC´s maiden edition of the “Kofi Annan Peace and Security” Forum in Accra”, he affirmed.

The Commandant of KAIPTC, AVM Evans noted that “the KAPS Forum is in memory of Kofi Annan, the former Secretary-General of the United Nations who dedicated his life to mobilizing political will to address evolving human security threats”.

Commenting on one outstanding feature of the forum, he added that “our forum will be a working forum and we will ensure that when recommendations are made, they are followed through until progress is made”.

The Forum will bring together two hundred high-level delegates including eight former African heads of state and diplomats from governmental and intergovernmental organizations (including the African Union and its Regional Economic Communities, United Nations and European Union). Security professionals and representatives from policy and research think tanks, development partners, training institutions and civil society groups have been invited and are expected to attend the forum.

Kelechi Deca

Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry.

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Kofi Annan Centre Collaborates With African Union on Preventive Diplomacy and Dialogue Interventions

July 13, 2019

The Kofi Annan International Peace Keeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) will collaborate with the African Union Commission (AUC) by participating in the validation workshop for the Advanced Mediation Training Curriculum organized on 18th and 19th June 2019 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

This engagement is part of the Centre’s vision to support the African Union in its mandate to promote peace, human security, and development in Africa; it is also in line with KAIPTC’s overall goal “to become the trusted partners of ECOWAS, AU, UN, RECs and member states in the development of their capacity to ensure peace and security in Africa”, and also with its vision “to become the leading and preferred international Centre for training, education and research that are focused on ensuring a peaceful and secure Africa”.

The main objective of the workshop was to validate the curriculum and manual to be used to develop/strengthen participants’ advanced understanding and skills required for the design, conduct, and evaluation of mediation interventions. This intervention is within the framework of the AU Standard Operating Procedures for Mediation Support and the AU Mediation Support Handbook.

Speaking on KAIPTC’s support to the AUC, the Commandant noted that; “KAIPTC & AUC have signed an MoU to strengthen their mutual commitment to the promotion of peace, human security, democracy, good governance and development, conflict prevention, management and peacebuilding in Africa.

In light of this agreement, KAIPTC partners the AUC in the provision of technical support, capacity building, joint initiatives, research, and other activities to solidify conflict prevention, peacebuilding including support to multi-dimensional peace operations”, he stated.

KAIPTC supports the AUC’s mandate through a variety of initiatives that relate to areas of mutual interests. The Centre’s participation in the validation of the curriculum/manual of the AUC’s Advanced Mediation Training was one of the areas of support. Some of the topics discussed during the validation workshop include preparing for mediation, negotiating in a mediation session, coordinating the mediation intervention and closing the mediation, etc.

The African Union Commission (AUC) has established and begun to operationalize a Mediation Support Unit (MSU) in order to institutionalise its conflict management approaches in a more systematic manner, in particular preventive diplomacy, mediation and dialogue interventions which are approaches widely used by the AUC to prevent the escalation of violence, foster dialogue and negotiation, as well as the management and resolution of conflicts and disputes across the African continent.

The MSU is located within the Crisis Management and Post Conflict Reconstruction and Development (CM-PCRD) Division of the Peace and Security Department (PSD).

Kelechi Deca

Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry.