Monograph No 17

The report surveys peacekeeping training in nine African countries, finding a lack of coordination and doctrinal consistency. It recommends that the OAU develop a common Pan-African doctrine, establish a civilian-military coordinating capacity within its Secretariat, and create regional centres of excellence to reduce dependence on extra-continental training.

• There is a critical lack of coordination and standardisation across African national peacekeeping training initiatives, which risks personnel being trained under irrelevant or inappropriate doctrines.
• The survey identifies an urgent need for the OAU to establish a common Pan-African concept, guidelines, and doctrine for peace operations to provide conceptual clarity for member states.
• African peacekeeping training is heavily dominated by military institutions, with very little dedicated training for civilian role players such as police, human rights monitors, or election observers.
• Financial constraints severely limit the ability of African countries to enhance training, leading to an over-reliance on training provided by the UN or extra-continental nations like Canada and Nordic countries.
• The report recommends that the OAU create a combined civilian-military advisory and coordinating capacity within its Secretariat to manage African participation in peace operations and coordinate with the UN DPKO.
• Logistical support is a major weakness for African troop contributors; the report suggests establishing a UN logistics base in Africa and harmonising logistical systems to ensure inter-operability.
• The report suggests the creation of regional 'centres of excellence' for peacekeeping training to optimise scarce resources and provide specialised courses in areas like logistics and medical support.
• The OAU is encouraged to institute an annual intra-African seminar to facilitate the sharing of lessons learned and to compile an inventory of existing training capabilities across the continent.

APA

Malan, M., Nhara, W., & Bergevin, P. (1997). Monograph No 17. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/Mono17.pdf

Chicago

Malan, Mark, William Nhara, and Pol Bergevin. Monograph No 17. Institute for Security Studies, 1997. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/Mono17.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Malan |first1=Mark |last2=Nhara |first2=William |last3=Bergevin |first3=Pol |title=Monograph No 17 |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=November 1997 |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/Mono17.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{malan1997monograph, author = {Malan, Mark and Nhara, William and Bergevin, Pol}, title = {{Monograph No 17}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {1997}, month = nov, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/Mono17.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }