IDEG commences training of observers

The Institute for Democratic Governance (IDEG) has launched a training session for its regional coordinators and focal persons in preparation for the country’s upcoming December 7 general election.

It seeks to equip them with the skills and knowledge necessary for effective election monitoring.

The session was led by officials from the Electoral Commission (EC) and elections management experts.

Election observation

Speaking at the event at the IDEG House in Accra, a Senior Research Fellow at IDEG, Kwesi Jonah­, emphasised the importance of election observation in fostering transparency and trust in the electoral process.

He noted that IDEG and the Civic Forum Initiative (IDEG-CFI), the second-largest domestic election observer group in the country, regularly recruited, trained and deployed volunteers to monitor elections across the country.

Mr Jonah further stressed that the complexities of the 2024 elections, particularly the mistrust surrounding the EC’s operations, made it imperative for civil society organisations (CSOs) and other independent bodies to actively monitor the elections and provide credible assessments, rather than leaving the task solely to political parties.

He said the training marked a critical step in IDEG-CFI preparations to deploy about 1,500 election observers nationwide, aimed at ensuring peaceful, credible and transparent elections before, during and after the December elections.

Operations

An election management expert, Douglas Quartey, also led a session on the operationalisation of the Elections Situation Rooms, which would serve as hubs of real-time election monitoring.

He explained the communication channels between observers in the field and the national command centre, emphasising the use of digital tools to ensure timely reporting of incidents to relevant bodies such as the EC or the National Election Security Task Force.