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In 2013, I – 2DP began its efforts at capacity building in diplomatic practice for African officials with a course directed by the Executive Director of I – 2DP, Ambassador Nana Bema Kumi in February, 2013 at the African Centre for Peace and Security Training (ACPST) which is  within the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) in Addis Ababa.

The twenty-two (22) participants from seventeen (17) African countries were addressed on the core subject of Strategic Negotiations with emphasis on Climate Change Negotiations, Arms Trade Talks, Conflict Resolution Negotiations as well as Natural Resource Contract Negotiations by seven resource persons from different African countries and the African Diaspora.

The Governing Board of I – 2DP held its fourth meeting on Thursday, 10th January, 2013, in Accra under the Chairmanship of Ambassador James Victor Gbeho. I – 2DP’s Business Plan for 2013 and Beyond was adopted. The Institute’s report on its visit to Mauritius in November, 2012 was analysed and a Plan of Action for the realisation of its objectives was adopted. A firm decision was also made to put in place a modern Library at the Institute that would make I – 2DP an automatic point of reference.

Following a thorough research into establishing an integrated approach to development in Ghana, I – 2DP came to a conclusion that the need for a more effective collaboration between government and the private sector was imperative to help remove a number of challenges impeding  Ghana’s strides towards the achievement of sustainable development.

In its search for a possible economic model which addresses that development phenomenon, I - 2DP was  motivated to undertake a working visit to Mauritius in November 2012. An African country with impressive economic development indices, Mauritius’ economic success has been mainly achieved through a well crafted and rigorously executed collaboration between the public and private sectors.

The visit, which was effected by the Head of the Development Section of I – 2DP, Mr Alexander Kwame Archine, concentrated on the two main areas of Public /Private Partnership and Corporate Social Responsibility and how the two impact o the socio-economic well being of the citizens.

I – 2DP intends to share the findings of the visit to Mauritius with key stakeholders in Ghana and generate a discussion which will eventually yield good and practical ideas on the way forward for Ghana’s economic development.

I – 2DP was represented at the 2012 Africa Development Forum in October, 2012 by its Executive Director, Ambassador Nana Bema Kumi and the Head of the Development Policies Section, Mr Alexander Archine. The Forum focussed on good governance of Africa’s natural resources.

Prior to the opening of the Forum, the Executive Director was interviewed on phone by a BBC correspondent. Below are the salient points raised by Ambassador Kumi during the discussion.

She emphasised that failure by African Governments to utilise the wealth gained from our natural resources to develop their respective countries could be attributed to the following factors:

1. Inadequate leadership in terms of inappropriately informed African officials at the level of initial as well as subsequent negotiations for the exploration and exploitation of such natural resources. Such officials end up accepting deals which are not in the best interest of African countries.

In August 2012, I-2DP had the honour of being invited by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia to join hands with three other Foreign Service Training institutes from Indonesia, India, Turkey, and UNITAR to prepare curricula for the Foreign Service Training Institute of Ethiopia and the School of Diplomacy and International Relations in Addis Ababa. After five weeks of preparation in Accra which constituted the first phase, the Executive Director moved to Addis where she had intensive collaboration with the projects' Curriculum Committee for fourteen days .

This happy development is in line with I-2DP's cardinal objective of contributing towards capacity building in Africa in the field of diplomatic training. I-2DP continues to engage other African countries and beyond in similar collaborative endeavours.