07 Dec Report Of The 14th ASF Training Implementation Workshop Of The Africa Union In Accra Ghana, From 30 Nov-2 Dec 2022
A. Introduction
1. The 14th African Standby Force (ASF) Training Implementation Workshop (TIW) was held at Alisa Hotel in Accra, Ghana, from 30 November – 2 December 2022. The workshop was hosted by African Union (AU) Commission and the Commission of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), in partnership with the Royal Norwegian Government through the Training for Peace (TfP) Programme – ACCORD.
2. The TIW brought together over 38 participants drawn from AU Commission, AU Military Staff Committee, Planning Elements (PLANELMs) of the Regional Economic Communities/Regional Mechanisms (RECs/RMs), the Africa Peace Support Trainers Association (APSTA), Training Centers of Excellence/Institutions (TCEs/TIs), the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) against Boko Haram, Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) and strategic partners.
B. Workshop Objectives
3. The main purpose of the 14th ASF TIW was to take stock of the implementation of the ASF Training Directives (2021 – 2023), identifying challenges and gaps in implementing them and exploring possible ways of enhancing implementation. The TIW further provided a platform for engagement with partner institutions on the harmonization of technical support for continental and regional ASF-related training activities.
C. Opening Remarks
4. In his welcoming remarks, Mr. Danjuma Aku, ECOWAS Civilian Rostering and Training Officer stressed the importance of stocktaking and to determine if the training being conducted for the ASF is sufficient to address the contemporary security threats on the continent. Furthermore, he emphasized the need for conducting inter-regional exercises amongst regions that are in proximity to address common security challenges as part of efforts to enhance the interoperability of the African Standby Force. Mr. Danjuma concluded by expressing appreciation to the AU Commission for the opportunity to host the 14th Training Implementation Workshop.
5. On his part, Lieutenant-General António Lamas Benedito Xavier, Chief of Staff of the African Standby Force, expressed African Union Commission’s gratitude to the ECOWAS Commission for hosting the Workshop. He reiterated that TIW presents a key platform for the AU, RECs/RMs and stakeholders to meet and discuss, share ideas, map common priorities, identify challenges and find mitigating measures on issues of enhancing ASF capabilities through training and exercising. He concluded that the recommendations and decisions from the workshop will be submitted to the next meeting of the Specialized Technical Committee on Defence, Safety and Security (STCDSS) for consideration.
D. Agenda And Methodology
6. The workshop was conducted in plenary as outlined in the agenda attached as Annex A. Also in addition to this report are copies of the ASF Training Directives and Monitoring and Evaluation Plan.
E. Observations
7. After deliberations, the meeting observed the following : i. TIW remains a crucial platform for reporting on the implementation of the ASF Training Directives. ii. In some instances, there is still mis-match amongst Member States’ pledges, training, and deployments: For instance, a “Member States could pledge A, train B and deploy C”. iii. The ASF training materials available do not appear to address contemporary security threats such as terrorism and other forms of violent extremism. iv. There is inadequate cooperation and collaboration amongst regions in conducting training and exercises to enhance the ASF capabilities. v. There is over-reliance on partners for funding of ASF training and related activities. vi. Most ASF training materials are yet to be translated into all AU working languages. vii. There are challenges in dissemination of the ASF training materials after the implementation of ToTs by the AU. viii. There is marked improvement in the coordination, collaboration and information sharing among AUC, RECs/RMs, TCEs/TIs and partners in the conduct of ASF/PSO training. ix. Progress has been made in the deployment of civilians in AU and/or regional PSOs through the ASC roster. x. APSTA is continuously developing initiatives to enhance ASF training such as establishing an expert database, situation room and data mining tools to monitor regional conflicts and interventions. xi. The AU Commission developed an M&E Plan to facilitate the monitoring and evaluation of the progress and impact of ASF Training Directive (2021-2023).
F. Recommendations
8. Based on deliberations and observations, the following recommendations were made : i. AUC, RECs/RMs and TCEs/TIs’ reports should be aligned with the ASF Training Directives. ii. The AUC, RECs/RMs, and Member States, should ensure that pledged capabilities are the ones trained, exercised and subsequently deployed. iii. There is a need for the AUC, RECs/RMs and Member States to continue investing in Training of Trainers programmes to increase the pool of trained capabilities for ASF deployment. iv. There is need to conduct lessons learned sessions on PSOs, such as AMISOM/ATMIS, MNJTF, G-5 Sahel, SAMIM to identify critical capacity gaps in dealing with contemporary security threats to enhance ASF training. v. Continuous efforts should be made to enhance sub-regional cooperation through conduct of ASF exercises focusing on common security challenges. vi. The AUC RECs/RMs and MS should invest more funding into ASF training. Additionally, use should be made of technology to reduce cost of training vii. There should be continuous effort to translate all ASF training documents into all AU working languages. viii. RECs/RM are encouraged to timeously disseminate ASF training materials to MS. ix. AUC, RECs/RMs, TCEs/TIs and partners are encouraged to continue enhancing the coordination, collaboration and information sharing for improved efficiency. x. AUC, RECs/RMs and MS are encouraged to continue utilizing the ASC roster for the deployment of civilians in AU and/or regional PSOs. xi. APSTA is encouraged to develop further initiatives to enhance ASF training in collaboration and coordination with AU, RECs/RMs. xii. The AUC, RECs/RMs and TCEs/TIs should submit reports using the M & E Plan on the implementation of the ASF Training Directives (2021 – 2023).
F. Recommendations
9. While considerable progress has been made in the implementation of the ASF Training Directives (2021 – 2023), there is still need for realignment of the ASF training architecture, among others, to contemporary security threats and realities on the continent.
10. The AUC expressed gratitude to the Government of Norway for providing financial and technical support for the conduct of the workshop. Participants also expressed profound appreciation to the ECOWAS Commission for successfully hosting the workshop.