In an effort to map out a route for long-term peace in Africa, Air Commodore David Akrong, deputy commandant of the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC), met with Ambassador Roy-Stanley Nwafor, district chair of Rotary International D9125 Nigeria, on peace and conflict prevention/resolution.
According to Akrong, the purpose of the visit was to get Nwafor’s expertise on plans being developed by the centre to strengthen the components of their mandate related to women, youth, peace, and security. In particular, Akrong stated that best practices from Nigeria’s creation and execution of the United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 2250 National Action Plan (NAP) on Youth, Peace, and Security would be incorporated.
The visit, he continued, was also intended to fortify the alliance between the two organisations, exchange concepts, and open up fresh avenues for cooperation in the service of the African Peace agenda.
Nwafor, who hosted the delegation over the weekend, reaffirmed Rotary International’s dedication to offering Africa policy options based on research with a focus on results, as well as to developing capacities and intervening in conflict-affected areas to help the continent become a peaceful, democratic one where the values of human dignity and the rule of law are upheld.
Akrong also paid visits to the national commandant of Peace Corp Nigeria, the director-general of the Institute of Peace and Conflict Resolution, representatives of civil society organisations, governmental and non-governmental organisations, and academic stakeholders at the University of Abuja (UniAbuja), including students.
In order to avoid making mistakes in Ghana, he asked for their thoughts on the National Action Plan’s effects, the difficulties in implementing it fully, and the process of putting the 3Es into practice—engaging, educating, and empowering women and youth to build and maintain peaceful societies.