Constructions that have been going on since early 2007 with Norwegian and Government of Ethiopia fundings are in good progress. The aim is that both manual deminers as well as machine operators and mine detection dogs and handlers will be trained at Ntoto. There will be dormitories to accommodate 200 trainees, there will be a garage for the maintenance of equipment, as well as four buildings for instructors. The kennel facilities are able to accommodate 24 dogs and are already put up. By 2012 the ultimate goal is that EMAO will be fully responsible for the deployment and training of mine-detection dogs in Ethiopia.
The Mine Detection Dog (MDD) training centre at Ntoto receives puppies from the global NPA dog training centre in Sarajevo, Bosnia, when the puppies are 10 months old and already trained in hunting skills. Belgian Shepherd dogs are preferred for mine detection in Ethiopia, due to their ability to adapt to various climates, and their strong constitutions which make them less prone to disease. Once the dogs have arrived to the training centre, they receive daily training in mine detection, which involves detecting small quantities of explosives under a variety of conditions. Simultaneously, the dogs are given opportunities for daily play and exercise in order that they retain motivation, together with their personal dog-handlers who also work with them during training and in the field.
The dogs receive accreditation after 4-6 months of training, which requires that they have proven a 100% explosive detection rate in various tests over a period of time. Any inaccuracy in mine detection in the field will endanger lives, for which reason demands on the skills of mine action dogs are substantially higher than demands on, e.g., dogs used for narcotics detection. After accreditation, the dogs are deployed in either Gemhalo or Togo Wchale for mine clearance, with regular follow-up training at Ntoto.
The dogs received from the global training centre in Bosnia are becoming increasingly younger, as more training has now been made possible at the MDD training centre at Ntoto. The intention is to build the capacity of the training centre to train the dogs from a very early age, thereby creating an Ethiopian centre of expertise. Dogs trained in Ethiopia may then be deployed in other African countries as well as in Ethiopia.
Since 2005, NPA and EMAO have collaborated on building the capacity of EMAO to carry out mine clearance in Ethiopia, with funding from the Norwegian Embassy in Addis Ababa. In contrast to other NPA humanitarian mine action programmes around the world, NPA is not directly involved in mine clearance in Ethiopia. Rather, NPA shares their competence in mine detection, which also involves technical surveys, with EMAO, in order that EMAO will be able to run the Ethiopian humanitarian mine action programme without support in the near future. Other donors currently supporting the NPA/EMAO humanitarian mine action programme are the Finnish and Dutch Ministries of Foreign Affairs.
With a vision to the future, EMAO and NPA started the exploration of EMAO’s potential as a regional resource base in 2007. At that point in time, a dialogue between the African Union (AU) and EMAO on EMAO’s possible role as the humanitarian mine action component in regional AU peace-keeping missions was initiated, a dialogue which is still in its early stages.