African staff colleges urged on army training
State Minister for Defence Jacob Oboth-Oboth (left) with Maj Gen George Igumba, the commandant of Senior Command and Staff College, Kimaka, at the conference in Kampala yesterday. PHOTO | COURTESY OF MINISTRY OF DEFENCE
What you need to know:
- State Minister for Defence Jacob Oboth-Oboth said quality training in higher military learning institutions is critical to maintaining standards
The 17th African Conference of Staff Commandants (ACoC) yesterday opened in Kampala, with a call to member states to enhance training in order to support policy formulation in armies on the continent.
State Minister for Defence Jacob Oboth-Oboth, who officially opened the conference at Royal Suites Bugolobi, Kampala, said quality training in higher military learning institutions is critical to maintaining standards.
“It is vital that our training syllabi take cognisant of the need to impress teaching of peace support operations in our staff colleges and other military institutions of higher learning,” Mr Oboth added.
Vice Admiral Seth Amoama, the chief of defence staff for Ghana, who was the main speaker, emphasised the role of the military in contemporary peace support operations.
He urged the member states to coordinate with other member states for strategic security on the African continent.
Maj Gen George Igumba, the commandant of Senior Command and Staff College, Kimaka, hailed ACoC for entrusting Uganda with the mandate to steer the organisation for the second time in the 17 years of its existence.
Maj Gen Igumba, who is also the current chairperson of ACoC, also applauded members for their cooperation and support since November last year when Uganda took over the leadership of the organisation.
The conference resolved to put emphasis on enhancing on communication and strategic military education.
The conference attracted participants from Mauritania, Malawi, Kenya, Ghana, Cote D’Ivoire, Cameroon, Botswana, Burundi, Zimbabwe, Libya, Zambia, Uganda, Tanzania, South Africa, Sierra Leone, Rwanda, Burundi, and observers from the African Centre for Strategic Studies. It ends on Saturday.
ACoC brings together African military training institutions with the aim of enhancing harmonisation, interoperability, standardisation and cooperation.
