The ties between the Government of Nigeria and the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) were further strengthened when the Nigerian High Commissioner to Ghana, Abikoye Femi Michael made a donation of $42,000 to support the completion of KAIPTC’s new Training and Academic Block.
The donation which was made on Tuesday, June 25, is to facilitate the construction of the Plaster of Paris (POP) for the building.
Addressing members of KAIPTC’s Executive Management, Abikoye expressed his gratitude and admiration for KAIPTC’s work in building capacity for peacekeeping and peace support operations in Africa. He said that many Nigerians, both security personnel and civilians have benefitted from KAIPTC’s courses.
The Federal Government of Nigeria therefore decided to support the delivery of KAIPTC’s courses by making the donation to shore up its efforts to expand its infrastructure to meet the increasing subscriptions to its programmes, the envoy said.
“The strings that bind these two African nations are firm and deeply rooted in time. One cannot talk about African cooperation and partnerships and ignore Nigeria and Ghana,” he noted. Abikoye suggested additional areas of cooperation to strengthen the cooperation between Nigeria and the Centre. Sharing some ideas on ways to deepen the Centre’s financial sustainability, the Commissioner noted that the Centre’s strategic location is a strong advantage for pursuing Public Private Partnerships.
Ms Horname Noagbesunu, Director of Policy Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Department (PPMED) at KAIPTC noted that the donation is an historic one and a great privilege for KAIPTC. She said: “This donation is a landmark event; it is an honour to have another African country supporting us.”
On behalf of the Executive Management and staff of the Centre, she expressed deepest gratitude to the Nigerian Government for their demonstration of true solidarity and support for the Centre.