ISS/TfP conducted the pilot AMISOM Specific Police Pre-deployment Training (PPDT) in Lusaka, Zambia from 16 to 29 October 2017. The pilot training was conducted in collaboration with the African Union (AU), United Nations (UN), British Peace Support Team – East Africa (BPST-EA) and Zambia Police Service. The course was aimed at piloting the newly developed course materials, training methods as well as the monitoring and evaluation processes. It also sought to obtain AU validation considering its practical application and effectiveness of the training in alignment with requirements of AMISOM’s mandate.

The development of the training material started in 2016 pursuant to a request from the African Union to assist in and facilitate the development of a standardised AMISOM specific PPDT course programme for IPOs to be made available to the Police Contributing Countries (PCCs) contributing to AMISOM. The request came after the joint AU-UN benchmarking review of AMISOM that recommended a shift to police led security and the AU led police training needs assessment done in April 2015.

30 police officers – 48% female – attended the course, from the Zambian Police, who have already been selected for mission service in AMISOM will deploy to AMISOM in the near future. Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Uganda also sent experienced trainers, who attended the course and also participated as independent observers for validation of the course.

The course consists of 9 modules covering all the pre-deployment training standards with additional emphasis on the police roles and responsibilities in Protection of Civilians and Capacity Building within the Framework of Security Sector Reform. The training methodology is totally based on interactive adult learning training approaches to support the transfer and development of functional and technical skills as well as to enhance values, attributes and attitudes. Feedback from participants emphasised the importance of the training being practical and very close to realities of peace support operations in AMISOM.

A Training of Trainers course (ToT) will be provided to the six PCC early in 2018 to enable them in taking full ownership of the PPDT and ensure that their IPOs will be trained accordingly. ISS will further continue to develop the course into a generic package where after ToTs to ensure roll out of the PPDT to all regions and PCCs.