African Conference of Commandants

What is the ACoC?

First Annual Conference, Pretoria, November 2007

Established in 2007, the African Conference of (Staff College) Commandants (ACoC) aims to enhance harmonisation – interoperability, commonality, standardisation and co-operation – between African Staff Colleges in order to contribute to joint multi-national and multi-agency cross governmental African Standby Force (ASF) peace support operations.  The Conference would potentially be an annual event, rotating between AU member nations, and would in time be expected to become a network of all African Staff College Commandants.

The Conference is similar in concept to the NATO Conference of Commandants and is targeted at the senior military levels of education within the African Union (AU) / African Standby Force (ASF) militaries (eg Commandants and Chief Instructors / COS of staff colleges); ASF representatives from the AU and regional levels (eg the AU’s ASF Harmonisation Workshop and AU Peace Support Operations Division (PSOD)); peace, security and defence related Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and educational institutions; and, possibly national / international donors. 

The ACoC also endeavours to reinforce work that already takes place, for example at meetings of the African Peace Support Training Association's (APSTA) and the Conference of the International Association of Peacekeeping Training Centre's (IAPTC).  The ACoC, however, deals with pan-defence education as well as focusing on the delivery of peace missions and Military Operations Other Than War education.