A standardised police roster system is critical for the African Standby Force

This policy brief argues for the urgent establishment of a standardised and integrated police roster system for the African Standby Force (ASF) to improve the recruitment, selection, and rapid deployment of qualified police personnel for peacekeeping missions.

• The African Standby Force (ASF) currently lacks an integrated police roster system despite a policy framework and various roadmaps that emphasize its necessity for recruiting competent personnel at continental, regional, and national levels.
• A standardised roster system would replace the current selection process, which focuses on screening out incompetence rather than identifying specialised skill sets, leading to mismatches between mission needs and the skills of seconded personnel.
• The proposed roster system should be a web-based platform interlinking national, regional, and continental levels to facilitate the sharing of data and statistics among roster managers, training institutions, and the AU Peace Support Operations Division (PSOD).
• To be effective, the system must capture comprehensive data, including personal particulars, selection and assessment test (SAT) scores, peacekeeping experience, employment history, education, training, specific expertise, and certificates of good conduct.
• The AU PSOD is the central planning element responsible for ensuring the system is standardised and integrated, while national roster managers serve as the primary repositories and operators of the original data.
• The author recommends that the AU introduce a performance-based incentive scheme and formalise pledges through memorandums of understanding to encourage member states to maintain and share personnel rosters.
• The development of the roster system should proceed through seven key stages: comprehensive assessment, policy framework formulation, data operations manual development, technology and equipment procurement, structure and staffing, pilot implementation, and finally, review and full operationalisation.

APA

Baffa, T. D. (2013). A standardised police roster system is critical for the African Standby Force. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/PolBrief42.PDF

Chicago

Baffa, Tsegaye Deda. A standardised police roster system is critical for the African Standby Force. Institute for Security Studies, 2013. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/PolBrief42.PDF.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Baffa |first1=Tsegaye Deda |title=A standardised police roster system is critical for the African Standby Force |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=June 2013 |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/PolBrief42.PDF |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{baffa2013standardised, author = {Baffa, Tsegaye Deda}, title = {{A standardised police roster system is critical for the African Standby Force}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2013}, month = jun, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/PolBrief42.PDF}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }