ECOWAS holds “Train the Facilitator workshop” for Electoral Management Bodies officers

To enhance the capacities of West African countries to conduct credible elections, the Electoral Assistance Division (EAD) in collaboration with the ECOWAS Network of Electoral Commissions (ECONEC) organized a ten-day “Train the Facilitators (TtF)” BRIGDE workshop in Grand-Bassam, Cote d’Ivoire.

The training, which was organized from 26th of May to 5th of June 2022, aimed to improve capacity of Electoral Management Bodies (EMBs) training officers and other electoral stakeholders to promote effective and sustainable election administration in West Africa.

Specifically, the workshop’s key objectives were to enhance the capacity of EMB trainers and other electoral stakeholders with a view of strengthening institutional capabilities and electoral processes. Furthermore, it aimed to expose participants to techniques of workshop facilitation, tools and resources for building and maintaining good electoral practices and culture in the region to successfully deliver free, fair, transparent, and credible elections.

The training was conducted using the Building Resources in Democracy, Governance and Elections (BRIDGE) Methodology, which is based on participatory adult learning principles combined with a distinctive value-based approach centered on specific electoral principles.

Speaking during the opening ceremony, Dr. Remi Ajibewa appreciated the European Union (EU) and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Corporation and Development (BMZ), for their continued support through the GIZ-ECOWAS Peace and Security Operations and Architecture (EPSAO) Project.

He also encouraged all participants to take the training seriously. According to Dr. Ajibewa, ECOWAS has always stressed the need for capacity building of staff of EMBs and Civil Society Organization (CSOs) in the region. He concluded by thanking the facilitators for making the training a reality.

In his brief statement to the participants, Mr. Francis Oke, the Head of the EAD, also thanked GIZ for its commitment to ECOWAS, particularly the EAD division. He emphasized that with this support, the EAD has been able to successfully organize BRIDGE trainings for EMBs and send CORE Team of Observers to presidential and legislative elections in the region.

In his remarks, Mr. Abu Turay, the GIZ-EPSAO Embedded Technical Expert, Electoral Affairs & EAD, projected that by the end of the training, an appropriate and effective standardized training framework based on well-defined principles, operational regulations, and procedural guidelines to measure the integrity and credibility of the electoral processes in the sub-region will be developed.

He also prayed that the capacities of training departments of EMBs and other stakeholders in the region on core thematic issues relating to BRIDGE training modules will be significantly enhanced and a pool of BRIDGE accredited facilitators in the region would be created. He advised participants to use the knowledge gained to impact their various organizations positively.

During the closing ceremony, the Lead Facilitator, Colonel Pathe Dieng and his team of Co-Facilitators, thanked the EPSAO project for the opportunity given them to train the participants and, in the process, contribute to the development of the capacity of election management participants in the West African Region.

This workshop was organized with the support of the European Union (EU) and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) through the GIZ-EPSAO Project.