The Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) has been named sub-Sahara Africa’s topmost think- tank on the Global Go-to Think Thank ranking.

The centre also ranked second out of the five institutions on the continent, which appeared on the global list of leading think tanks in foreign policy and international affairs.

It was ranked higher ahead of the Institute for Security Studies and the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA), all in South Africa, and the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD), Ghana.

The Global Go-To Think Tank Ranking Index Report, produced annually, is put together by the Think Tanks and Civil Societies Programme (TTCSP) of the Lauder Institute at the University of Pennsylvania in the US.

More than 7,500 scholars from various universities contributed to the report by using criteria developed by TTCSP. It also works with experts from the print and electronic media, academia, public and private donor institutions, and governments around the world, to produce the Index that ranks the world’s leading think tanks in a variety of categories.

A total of 6,600 think tanks were ranked in the report. The aim of the report is to increase the profile and performance of think tanks and raise the public awareness of their important roles in governments and civil societies all over the world. KAIPTC’s impressive ranking on the Index report, was due to its work in disseminating Africa’s position on peace, security and conflict issues globally through numerous and cutting-edge research publications, policy advice to governmental, non-governmental and private institutions.

The Commandant of the Centre, Air Vice Marshal Griffiths Santrofi Evans, noted that the recognition comes to consolidate KAIPTC’s reputation as a centre of excellence for training, education and research in the sub-region. He also noted that it would enhance KAIPTC’s visibility and credibility in public policy globally.

Out of the overall listing of 133 institutions on the Index Report, KAIPTC ranked 78th ahead of the Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI) Canada, United States Institute of Peace (USIP) in the Unites States of America, and Amnesty International in the United Kingdom, which  placed 89th, 98th, and 100th respectively.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) established the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) in 1998 and commissioned it in 2004.

The purpose was to build upon and share Ghana’s five decades of internationally acclaimed experience and competence in peace operations with other states in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) region and the rest of Africa.