The Sierra Leone Police (SLP) on Tuesday, 13th January 2025, commenced a three-day capacity building workshop in peacekeeping for thirty (30) female personnel at the Police Wives Vocational Training Hall, Kingtom Barracks.
The workshop brought together past, present and prospective female peacekeeping officers, providing a platform for experience sharing, mentoring and strategic engagement aimed at strengthening female leadership, participation and performance in peacekeeping deployments.
The training focuses on key peacekeeping principles, including the nature of conflict in Africa, United Nations (UN) and African Union (AU) peace arrangements, and the fundamental principles of peacekeeping operations.
Delivering the keynote address, Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Sahr Yomba Senesi emphasized that the Sierra Leone Police, under the astute leadership of Inspector General of Police Mr William Fayia Sellu, remains firmly committed to gender sensitivity and inclusivity.
He disclosed that several key positions within the SLP are currently headed by female officers, including the Corporate Services Directorate, Community and Gender Directorate, Peacekeeping Department, Operational Policy and Planning Department (OPPD), as well as some Divisional Headquarters across the country.
DIG Senesi further recalled that the current SLP leadership demonstrated strong commitment to women 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 2025–2029 Strategic Development Plan (SDP), adding that the workshop is designed to adequately prepare and position female officers for effective participation and leadership in peacekeeping missions.
The initiative underscores the SLP’s continued efforts to promote gender equality, enhance professionalism, and strengthen Sierra Leone’s contribution to regional and international peacekeeping operations.
