On 26 March 2021, the International Peace Support Training Centre (IPSTC), in partnership with Regional Centre on Small Arms (RECSA) and the British Peace Support Team Africa (BPST-A) held a two-weeks Senior Leader's Weapons and Ammunition Accountability and Management course. Participants included representatives from 12 African countries drawn from Kenya, Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Ghana, Rwanda, Nigeria, South Sudan, Tanzania among others.

The training sought to respond to the greater need for weapons and ammunition management activities in the face of emerging threats like small arms proliferation which continue to sustain armed conflict, cattle rustling, acts of terrorism and other crimes.

During the course, participants learnt about weapons and ammunition management in a mix of theoretical, interactive and practical sessions. This included an introduction to normative frameworks as well as hands-on exercises in planning, monitoring and evaluation. Participants also had the opportunity to share their experiences and present transitional weapons and ammunition management approaches. As part of the course, participants visited Karen warehouse which provided a practical illustration on safe handling and storage of weapons.

The course seeks to develop resources and expertise to enable senior leaders to design effective weapons and ammunition management activities to counter the proliferation of small arms and lights weapons.