IDEA’s Activities in West Africa:
Support to Electoral Processes in West Africa
BRIDGE Electoral Administrator’s training
The need for capacity-building training and materials for election administrators is evidenced by the many requests received from regional Electoral Management Bodies. IDEA, in partnership with regional organisations, is making available its BRIDGE (Building Resources in Democracy Governance and Elections) material and methodology to contribute to the professionalisation of election management in the region. This includes BRIDGE capacity building training courses and Training of trainers, knows as Train the facilitators courses.
Since 2003 IDEA has organized a series of BRIDGE Electoral Administrators Training Courses in the region.
French BRIDGE Train the Facilitator’s Course: In Ouagadougou, Burkina Fasoin partnership with the Burkina based Centre for Democratic Governance (CDG) the first BRIDGE Train the Facilitators course in French was held from September 6 – 17 2004. The course was attended by 22 participants from 7 Francophone African countries (Burkina Faso, Benin, Chad Democratic Republic of Congo, Ivory Coast, Mali and Senegal). The participants were from election management bodies or other organisations working with elections.
English BRIDGE Train the Facilitator’s Course: The latest Train the facilitators course was co-organised by IDEA and the Association of African Election Authorities (AAEA) in Accra in August 2005 and trained 26 participants from Ghana, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Gambia, Liberia, Centre for Democratic Development (CDD) Ghana and the West African Network for Peace building (WANEP). These facilitators are now accredited to provide electoral management training in the region.
IDEA is supporting further BRIDGE training courses in both French and English speaking countries.
BRIDGE Train the Facilitators Course Accra, Ghana 2005
For more information about the BRIDGE project click here
Support to regional electoral institutions
IDEA is supporting efforts to develop ECOWAS Elections Unit’s capacity to deliver on electoral issues and in 2004 completed a mapping exercise on electoral assistance requirements in the ECOWAS sub region. IDEA and ECOWAS are planning further collaboration with the soon to be established Electoral Assistance Unit. IDEA is also working closely with the Association of African Election Authorities (AAEA) to assist in the establishment of a Forum for West African Election Authorities. In October 2005 the AAEA and IDEA embarked on a study aimed at constituting a framework to operationalise the proposed Forum for West African Election Authorities.
Strengthening Political Parties in West Africa
IDEA is involved in an extensive project in West Africa for supporting political parties in the region. The project is part of a global programme that IDEA is engaged in conducting a survey of both the internal functioning of political parties (addressing issues such as how is the leader elected, what is the women’s representation, how are candidates selected) and the external environment (regulatory framework) governing political parties.
In West Africa since 2004 IDEA had conducted the research in Burkina Faso, Ghana, Mali Nigeria, and Senegal. The research findings and analysis have served to stimulate dialogue at national and sub-regional level in a series of National workshops held in Burkina Faso, Senegal and Ghana. A regional conference bringing together political parties and researchers was held in Ouagadougou in June 2005.
In 2005 the project has been extended to include Niger, Benin, Gambia and Cape Verde. The project is being conducted in partnership with the Centre for Democratic Governance (CDG) in Burkina Faso.
The results of the national research will be made available on a global internet database to be launched in 2006.
For more detailed information about IDEA’s global political parties work click here.
Women in Politics in West Africa
Do quotas work to promote women’s participation in politics? And if so, how? What are the different types of quotas in use in West Africa and how are they implemented? These are some of the questions raised by IDEA’s research on gender quotas. IDEA convened a series of regional workshops that brought together researchers and practitioners to collect country- and region-specific information on quota implementation and enforcement, and to develop a network of researchers and experts working in this field. In November 2005 IDEA will hold a quotas workshop for the West Africa region in Accra in collaboration with regional partners.
For more information about IDEA’s work on Gender Quotas click here
How many countries use gender quotas? Click here to link to IDEA’s Gender Quotas Database.
Democracy Building and Conflict Management in West Africa
In West Africa IDEA seeks to strengthen the capacity of key West African stakeholders, such as political parties, civil society, democratic institutions - to design and implement sustainable reconciliation initiatives throughout the region.
IDEA is organizing regional workshops on the reconciliation needs and challenges in West Africa. These workshops are using the tools and methodology of the IDEA Handbook Reconciliation After Violent Conflict.
IDEA in collaboration with the International Parliamentary Union (IPU) has recently developed a specialist Handbook “Making Reconciliation Work: the Role of Parliaments” to strengthen the role of parliamentarians in undertaking reconciliation activities. IDEA is planning to organize a series of parliamentary seminars to that effect.
Burkina Faso
IDEA was engaged in a long-term country project in Burkina Faso from 1996 – 2004. For more information click here
Nigeria
IDEA was engaged in a long-term country project in Nigeria from 1999 – 2004. For more information click here
West Africa Programme Office
IDEA’s activities in West Africa are administered from the West Africa Programme Office located in Accra, Ghana. Click here for contact details.
