The National College of Defence Studies (NCDS) has organised a three-day Executive Course on Gender, Peace and Security (GPS) for Course 3 at the College Auditorium, Burma Camp, from 18 to 20 May 2026.
The Executive Module on Gender, Peace and Security is a high-level training programme designed to equip senior defence, security and policy leaders with the strategic knowledge and insight needed to integrate gender perspectives into national security decision-making.
Delivering the opening address, the course facilitator, Dr Sena Dei-Tutu, a senior lecturer at the University of Ghana, noted that the participation of representatives from both military and civilian institutions, as well as participants from sister African countries, underscored the growing importance of gender and security issues in modern leadership and national development.
She stated that gender and security are no longer peripheral concerns but have become central to the effectiveness, legitimacy and adaptability of contemporary security institutions. According to her, the course would explore themes increasingly critical to strengthening modern defence and security systems.
Dr Dei-Tutu further explained that gender is not only a matter of fairness and inclusion but also a strategic factor in national security outcomes. She emphasised that including women in military and security institutions leads to more representative decision-making that reflects the realities of the population.
She stressed that mainstreaming gender considerations into defence policy is not about creating parallel systems, but about ensuring that existing systems are designed and implemented so they adequately serve the full spectrum of society.
She concluded that incorporating gender considerations into security structures does not detract from core security priorities but rather strengthens analysis, improves operational effectiveness and enhances institutional legitimacy.
