ECOWAS To Equip Staff On Sustainable Electoral Management – Official

In keeping with its mandate to promote free, transparent, and credible elections in West Africa, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Network of Electoral Commissions (ECONEC) has organised a bridge training-of-trainers workshop to equip its staff on sustainable electoral management.

The ECOWAS Network of Electoral Commissions (ECONEC) is the umbrella organisation for electoral management bodies (EMBs) in West Africa.

The workshop is scheduled to commence from August 20 to 30 in Lagos.

In a statement signed by the acting head of the Electoral Assistance Division of ECOWAS cum permanent secretary of ECONEC, Mr Serigne Mamadou Ka, he said, “The workshop aims to equip EMBs in ECOWAS member states with sustainable training capabilities and help develop an easily accessible pool of BRIDGE-accredited trainers in the West African region.”

The permanent secretary said the workshop brings together training directors from election management bodies (EMBs) in ECOWAS member states, electoral experts across the West African region, staff from the ECOWAS Electoral Assistance Division (EAD), and the ECONEC Permanent Secretariat.

He said, “The workshop will follow the BRIDGE training methodology, which combines interactive discussions and practical group exercises. The various sessions will be interspersed with icebreakers and reminders.”

The network was created in February 2008 to promote free, fair, and credible elections.

Its creation was inspired by the ECOWAS Declaration of Political Principles, which was adopted by the ECOWAS Conference of Heads of State and Government in 1991.