As part of its mandate to promote free, transparent, and credible elections in West Africa, the ECOWAS Network of Electoral Commissions (ECONEC) is organizing its annual symposium on 12 and 13 November 2025 in Dakar, Senegal, on the theme “Harnessing Artificial Intelligence for Electoral Integrity”. This year’s event is co-organized with Yiaga Africa and will be followed by the Network’s 11th General Assembly.
The symposium aims to provide a platform for informed debates that will help West African Electoral Management Bodies (EMBs) carefully examine the integration and responsible use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in their work in order to strengthen the integrity of elections in the region. The General Assembly, for its part, will afford ECONEC members the opportunity to a new Steering Committee to oversee the affairs of the Network for the next two years.
Participants at the event include the ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, the Chairpersons and members of ECONEC-member EMBs, the Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) directors of ECONEC-member EMBs, thematic experts, representatives of civil society organizations (CSOs), the media and technical partners involved in electoral assistance, including the African Union (AU), the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA), the Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa (EISA), and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
The ECOWAS Network of Electoral Commissions( ECONEC) is the umbrella organization of EMBs in West Africa. 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.
Ahead of the 25 October 2025 presidential election in Côte d'Ivoire, the ECOWAS Network of Electoral Commissions (ECONEC), in keeping with its mandate to promote free, transparent and credible elections in West Africa, is deploying a Peer Support and Learning Mission (PSLM) to Abidjan from 21 to 28 October 2025.
The main purpose of the ECONEC mission is to provide moral support to the chairperson of the Independent Electoral Commission (CEI) of Côte d'Ivoire. The mission will also be an opportunity to identify best practices implemented by CEI, share practical experiences among peers, and formulate actionable recommendations to address challenges that may affect the conduct of future elections.
The ECONEC PSLM comprises of Mr. Abdoulaye SYLLA, chairperson of the Autonomous National Electoral Commission (CENA) of Senegal, Ms. Cristina LEITE, Vice-President of the National Electoral Commission (CNE) of Cabo Verde, and Ms. Laurentine ADOSSOU, Rapporteur of the Autonomous National Electoral Commission (CENA) of Benin. The mission is supported by Mr. Serigne Mamadou KA, Permanent Secretary of ECONEC, as well as experts from the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA).
The delegation will hold working meetings with various stakeholders in the electoral process in Côte d'Ivoire, including the Independent Electoral Commission (CEI) of Côte d'Ivoire; the Constitutional Council; the High Authority for Audiovisual Communication (HACA); Civil Society Organisations (CSOs); and the various international election observation missions (EOMs) present in Côte d'Ivoire.
The ECOWAS Network of Electoral Commissions( ECONEC) is the umbrella organization for electoral management bodies (EMBs) in West Africa. 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.
The mission is being carried out with the financial and technical support of the EU Support to ECOWAS in Peace, Security, and Governance (EPSG) project. EPSG is commissioned by Germany and co-financed by Germany and the European Union (EU). The EPSG Project supports ECOWAS in addressing security and governance challenges in West Africa by enhancing early conflict detection, security sector reform, electoral support, and inclusive peace processes.
The project is implemented in a Team Europe Approach by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH,Expertise France (EF) and Fundación para la Internacionalización de las Administraciones Públicas (FIAP) in partnership with ECOWAS.
As part of its mandate to promote free, transparent, and credible elections in West Africa, the ECOWAS Network of Electoral Commissions (ECONEC) is deploying a joint Post-Election Follow-Up and Needs Assessment Mission (PEF/NAM) to Nigeria. The mission will take place in Abuja from 28 July to 1 August 2025
The purpose of the mission is to assess the implementation of recommendations made by the ECOWAS and African Union (AU) electoral observation missions during Nigeria’s 2023 general elections; evaluate how these recommendations have improved the quality, transparency, inclusiveness, and credibility of the electoral process; examine the impact of recent political developments in Nigeria on the work of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC); and, identify possible areas of support to INEC Nigeria in the run-up to the next general elections in February 2027.
The delegation includes the Chairperson of the National Elections Commission of Liberia and the Deputy-Chairperson of the Electoral Commission of Ghana, along with the permanent secretary of ECONEC. Experts from the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA), the Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa (EISA), and the EU Support to ECOWAS in Peace, Security and Governance Project (EPSG).
During their stay, the delegation will hold working sessions with various key stakeholders in Nigeria's electoral process, including INEC, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), the Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC), the Senate and House of Representatives Committees on INEC, the Nigerian Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), and international technical and financial partners supporting the electoral process.
The ECOWAS Network of Electoral Commissions( ECONEC) is the umbrella organization for electoral management bodies (EMBs) in West Africa. 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.
The mission is being carried out with the financial and technical support of the EU Support to ECOWAS in Peace, Security, and Governance (EPSG) project. EPSG is commissioned by Germany and co-financed by Germany and the European Union (EU).The EPSG Project supports ECOWASin addressing security and governance challenges in West Africa by enhancy early conflict detection ,security sector reform,electoral support,and inclusive peace processes
The project is implemented in a Team Europe Approach by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH,Expertise France (EF) and Fundación para la Internacionalización de las Administraciones Públicas (FIAP) in partnership with ECOWAS.
The ECOWAS Network of Electoral Commissions (ECONEC), in partnership with International IDEA. is organising a regional dialogue of experts on gender and inclusion within Electoral Management Bodies (EMBs) in the ECOWAS region from 14 to 15 July 2025 in Dakar, Senegal.
The aim of the meeting is to facilitate the sharing of experiences, raise awareness and build the capacity of EMB staff by providing them with the knowledge and skills they need to develop and implement gender-sensitive policies and practices.
This expert dialogue brings together senior managers and technical staff in charge of gender inclusion and mainstreaming within the various ECOWAS EMBs, Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) working on gender and inclusion in the ECOWAS region, EMBs from Kenya and the Democratic Republic of Congo, RESAO staff, and International IDEA.
The two-day meeting will use participative and interactive approaches, including presentations, group discussions, practical exercises and case study presentations.
The Electoral management bodies will be encouraged to share their experiences and the challenges they face in developing or implementing a gender equality policy in electoral processes.
The ECOWAS Network of Electoral Commissions (ECONEC) is the umbrella organization for electoral management bodies (EMBs) in West Africa. Founded in February 2008 to promote free, fair and credible elections, the Network draws on the 1991 ECOWAS Declaration of Political Principles on Freedom, Peoples' Rights and Democratization to strengthen electoral processes in West Africa
The ECOWAS Network of Electoral Commissions (ECONEC), in accordance with its mandate to promote free, fair and credible elections in West Africa, is deploying a post-election follow-up and need assessment mission to Banjul, the Republic of the Gambia, from 14 to 18 April 2025.
The objective of the mission is threefold: to assess the extent of implementation of the recommendations made by the ECOWAS and African Union Election Observation Missions to the 2021 Presidential election; identify possible areas of support needed for the full implementation of those recommendations; and, to conduct a technical assessment of the legal and operational aspects of the upcoming electoral process in order to identify the capacity needs of IEC as it prepares for the 2026 electoral cycle.
The mission comprises of the chairmen of the Nigerian and Sierra Leonean electoral commissions and supported by ECONEC's permanent secretary, and experts from International IDEA and EISA.
The delegation will hold working sessions with the various stakeholders in the Gambian electoral process, including the electoral commission, civil society organisations (CSOs), political parties, the Gambia Union Journalists (GUJ) and international partners involved in the electoral assistance.
The ECOWAS Network of Electoral Commissions (ECONEC) is the umbrella organization for electoral management bodies (EMBs) in West Africa. Founded in February 2008 to promote free, fair and credible elections, the Network draws on the 1991 ECOWAS Declaration of Political Principles on Freedom, Peoples' Rights and Democratization to strengthen electoral processes in West Africa.
Seventeen (17) years after the adoption of its statutes at its constitutive General Assembly, the ECOWAS Network of Electoral Commissions (ECONEC) is organising an Extraordinary General Assembly on 10 April 2025 in Banjul, Republic of the Gambia, to review these statutes.
The meeting will provide members an opportunity to examine and adopt a draft of the revised statutes of the network. ECONEC members will also be expected to endorse the creation of an electoral resource-sharing database, which will be a first on the African continent.
ECONE'S Extraordinary General Meeting will bring together the chairmen and vice-chairmen of the Election Management Bodies (EMBs) of Benin, Cape Verde, Côte d'Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo.
The ECOWAS Network of Electoral Commissions (ECONEC) is the umbrella organization for electoral management bodies (EMBs) in West Africa. Founded in February 2008 to promote free, fair and credible elections, the Network draws on the 1991 ECOWAS Declaration of Political Principles on Freedom, Peoples' Rights and Democratization to strengthen electoral processes in West Africa.
Ahead of the 7 December 2024 General Elections in Ghana, the ECOWAS Network of Electoral Commissions (ECONEC) is deploying a joint peer support and learning mission with the Electoral Commissions Forum of SADC countries (ECF SADC) from 3 – 10 December 2024 in Accra.
The Mission, comprising of Chairpersons and Commissioners from the Electoral Commissions of Sierra Leone, Liberia, Nigeria, Zambia, Malawi and Botswana, aims to demonstrate the solidarity of West African Electoral Management Bodies (EMBs) towards the Electoral Commission (EC) of Ghana, and provide moral support to its Chairperson at this crucial time. The Mission also provides a platform for cross regional learning, harmonisation of efforts and dissemination of best electoral practices between the two EMB networks.
During their stay, the members of the Mission will hold working sessions with various stakeholders in the electoral process, including the Electoral Commission, Government, civil society organizations, the media, security agencies, as well as the ECOWAS and African Union Election Observation Missions and other International Election Observer Missions that are present in the country, in order to ascertain the smooth conduct of the process.
The 7 December 2024 polls will allow Ghana's 18,774,159 registered voters to elect the sixth President of the 4th Republic and 270 Members of Parliament.
The joint ECONEC-ECF mission is being deployed with technical and financial support from the Strengthening Pan-African Capacities for Election Observation and Assistance (SPEC) project funded by the European Union and implemented by International IDEA.
The ECOWAS Network of Electoral Commissions (ECONEC) is the umbrella organization for electoral management bodies (EMBs) in West Africa. Founded in February 2008 to promote free, fair and credible elections, the Network draws on the 1991 ECOWAS Declaration of Political Principles on Freedom, Peoples' Rights and Democratization to strengthen electoral processes in West Africa.
The ECOWAS Network of Electoral Commissions (ECONEC), in keeping with its mandate to promote free, fair and credible elections in West Africa, is holding its annual symposium on the theme “Information integrity and electoral integrity: What role for EMBs in the era of social media?” in Freetown, Republic of Sierra Leone, from 11th to 12th November 2024, which will be followed by its 10th General Assembly.
The meeting will be organized in the form of panel discussions on specific themes with the aim of critically assessing the role of electoral management bodies (EMBs) in promoting information integrity as an essential aspect of protecting electoral integrity. The General Assembly, meanwhile, will afford ECONEC members the opportunity to review and assess the activities implemented in 2024.
The 2024 ECONEC symposium will bring together the Chairpersons and communication directors of ECONEC member EMBs, representatives of the ECOWAS Commission, thematic experts, civil society organizations (CSOs), the media and technical partners involved in electoral assistance, including the African Union, the Electoral Commissions Forum of SADC countries (ECF-SADC), International IDEA, IFES, EISA, CHR and UNDP.
Discussions at the ECONEC 2024 symposium will serve as a basis for developing a Policy Brief on managing access to information during the electoral processes in West Africa.
The ECOWAS Network of Electoral Commissions(ECONEC) is the umbrella organization ofelectoral management bodies (EMBs) in West Africa. 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 Authority of Heads of State and Government in 1991.
