Commandant, Kofi Annan International Peace-keeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) in Accra, Ghana, Maj.-Gen.Richard Gyane, has said violent extremism and terrorism (VET) are the biggest threats to the ECOWAS sub-region, Africa, and humanity.
Gyane stated this in an interview during a mobile training course on women, youth, and VET, organised yesterday, by KAIPTC in Abuja.
The commandant said the security challenges in West Africa informed KAIPTC’s decision to organise capacity-building activities for women and youth to build their resilience to tackle terrorism.
He said the training, organised in collaboration with the Norwegian government, would empower women and youth with the requisite knowledge about terrorist operations and build their resilience against VET threats.
“If you look at our sub-region now, violent extremism is a big threat to us. If you look at the Sahel nations, most of these countries are virtually taken over by violent groups. If you look at Nigeria and the Boko Haram group and the movement of these groups southwards, it is worrisome,” he said.
According to Gyane, KAIPTC engages and empowers women and youth through its training programmes because when people are empowered, it becomes difficult for VET groups, whose aim is to radicalise the people and take over their countries, to do so.
