We Did It!!

Published December 23, 2019

Welcome to our final newsletter for 2019. We hope we have kept you updated on our latest news and provided you with resources that are applicable to your jobs. Here at the RTC, we have certainly enjoyed taking you along on our training journey. We recently completed a wildlife border inspection course which brought back two of our favorite instructors from the United States (US) Customs and Border Protection (CBP). They were delighted to share their training experience with us and left a message for future RTC instructors. Enjoy the read!

The West Africa Regional Training Center (RTC) has been proven an integral organizational component promoting transnational capacity building and transnational crime interdiction. I have facilitated courses for CBP’s Office of International Affairs (INA) at the RTC since 2015 and always look forward to the next opportunity to take part. The participants always enlighten me to new information whether it is new smuggling methods, new information on the trafficking of humans or wildlife, or perhaps different ways of inspection at their respective borders.  The significance of the relationships forged at the RTC is immeasurable. The ability to communicate transnationally can only be constructive when combatting the same types of crime across the region and can only lead to increased regional security. With that being said, the RTC is the peak of perfection for hosting this training.  The team put together by Director Lampley is elite.  They are the epitome of professionalism and take care of every detail of the training down to the minutia, leaving nothing to be desired. They always employ the best of the best, including the catering company that provides the most delicious lunch and break time snack with coffee and tea. If there is anyone, instructor or participant, considering attending a course at the RTC, all I can say is GO!  It is an immense experience for you, as well as for the participants.  They are always appreciative of your time and knowledge, but I, for one, am the one who takes the most from my time with them in charming and lovely Ghana.

Miss Jane

CBP

When I am fortunate enough to instruct at the RTC, I always return enlightened. Having the opportunity to network, share and work with our West African partners allows me to reframe some of the issues we are tackling at home. The experience provides me with new insight on cultural differences, foreign procedural knowledge and helps me fill the gaps in my enforcement knowledge by highlighting new areas of concern. As an instructor, I hope that students walk away with new and creative ways to achieve their mission. My job is not to tell them the right way, but to inspire them to find a better way. Having been to Ghana multiple times, I find the people to be the most welcoming anywhere I have yet to have travelled and the RTC is no exception. I know that no matter the task, large or small, the staff will make it their personal mission to facilitate my success. They take the time to review all participant and instructor experiences to continue to provide a level of service that remains top notch. What I love most is the flexibility of the RTC and their willingness to be so accommodating. If I had a message for a future RTC instructor I would tell them to get plenty of rest, start hydrating before you travel, bring candy and be prepared to have fun!

Miss Kim

CBP

Would you like to be featured in our next newsletter? Write to us at info@westafricartc.org and we will get the conversation started.