ACCORD conducted an Advanced Training of Trainers (ToT) Capacity Strengthening Workshop in Nairobi, Kenya, from 10–14 July 2026. The workshop aimed to deepen the technical competencies of ACCORD’s ToT alumni and strengthen their ability to design, facilitate, and deliver high-quality conflict management and peacebuilding training. It builds on ACCORD’s continued investment in strengthening local and national peacebuilding capacities through its ToT Programme, which has trained three cohorts of peacebuilding practitioners from across Africa and two groups of Ethiopian women since 2022.
The five-day workshop emphasised practical application and experiential learning. Participants designed and facilitated simulation training sessions, providing an opportunity to apply their knowledge in practice while receiving constructive feedback from peers and facilitators. The training also reinforced key concepts in conflict resolution, peacebuilding, and peacemaking.
Throughout the workshop, participants reflected on the value of intentional training design and the significance of seemingly simple activities. They noted that even a symbolic exercise, such as lighting a candle at the start of a session, can create meaningful learning moments and encourage deeper reflection. These discussions reinforced the importance of designing every aspect of a training with a clear purpose and understanding how each activity contributes to participants’ learning experience.
Participants also highlighted the value of the advanced training in expanding their perspectives and strengthening their facilitation skills. Through storytelling sessions and shared experiences, they reflected on the diverse ways conflict manifests across different contexts and recognised the importance of adapting training approaches to different realities while drawing on common peacebuilding principles.
The workshop concluded by reinforcing the importance of identifying the root causes of conflict as a foundation for effective peacebuilding interventions. The discussions highlighted that understanding the underlying drivers of conflict enables practitioners to identify the most appropriate entry points for intervention and design responses that contribute to more sustainable peacebuilding outcomes.
