By Fatima Kpaka
Freetown, January 13, 2025: – The Sierra Leone Police (SLP) has launched a three-day capacity-building workshop in peacekeeping for thirty female officers at the Police Wives Vocational Training Hall, Kingtom Barracks.
The training, which began on Tuesday, brought together past, present, and prospective female peacekeeping officers. It provided a platform for experience sharing, mentoring, and strategic engagement aimed at strengthening female leadership, participation, and performance in international peacekeeping deployments.
The workshop focuses on key principles of peacekeeping, including the nature of conflict in Africa, United Nations (UN) and African Union (AU) peace arrangements, and the fundamental principles guiding peacekeeping operations.
Delivering the keynote address, Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Sahr Yomba Senesi reaffirmed the SLP’s commitment to gender sensitivity and inclusivity under the leadership of Inspector General William Fayia Sellu. He highlighted that several senior positions within the force are currently headed by female officers, including the Corporate Services Directorate, Community and Gender Directorate, Peacekeeping Department, Operational Policy and Planning Department (OPPD), and several divisional headquarters across the country.
DIG Senesi also recalled that the SLP demonstrated strong commitment to women’s empowerment by allocating a 100 percent quota to female personnel who participated in the Formed Police Unit Five (FPU-5) peacekeeping mission in Somalia.
He noted that capacity building is a core pillar of the SLP’s 2025–2029 Strategic Development Plan (SDP), stressing that the workshop is designed to prepare and position female officers for effective participation and leadership in peacekeeping missions.
The initiative underscores the SLP’s ongoing efforts to promote gender equality, enhance professionalism, and strengthen Sierra Leone’s contribution to regional and international peacekeeping operations.