International IDEA supports ECONEC Symposium on Harnessing AI for Electoral Integrity

These opportunities and risks were at the heart of the ECONEC Symposium and 11th General Assembly on “Harnessing Artificial Intelligence for Electoral Integrity”, which was held in Dakar, Senegal, from 12–13 November 2025.

Organized by the ECOWAS Network of Electoral Commissions (ECONEC), the convening brought together representatives from electoral management bodies (EMBs), regional EMB networks, civil society organizations, development partners, and technology service providers to examine the growing role of AI in electoral processes. The symposium explored how external actors are applying AI in elections, assessed the ethical considerations and risks of its use, and facilitated the exchange of experiences from EMBs across the region and the continent. It also identified key policy, legal, and regulatory issues and discussed practical pathways for EMBs to responsibly leverage AI to enhance transparency, efficiency, and public trust in elections.

International IDEA played a key role in the Symposium, reflecting its ongoing commitment to supporting democratic governance and credible elections in West Africa. At the opening session, International IDEA together with ECONEC launched a policy paper titled Information Integrity and Electoral Integrity: What Role for EMBs in the Era of Social Media?. The paper underscored that electoral integrity depends fundamentally on voters’ access to accurate, timely, and reliable information, particularly in an era marked by AI-generated contents, deepfakes, and coordinated disinformation campaigns.

Presenting the paper, Maurice Enguélégué Senior Adviser, Constitution Building Process, International IDEA emphasized that AI should not be viewed solely as a threat. 

“AI is not just a risk, it is also an opportunity to strengthen electoral integrity in Africa if responsibly governed and strategically deployed,” Enguélégué noted, calling on African governments and EMBs to harness AI in ways that reinforce credibility and public confidence.

International IDEA also contributed to a panel on "Ethical Issues and Risks in AI-Powered Elections". Speaking on the panel, Peter Wolf Principal Advisor, Elections and Digitalization at International IDEA, cautioned against overreliance on technology, stressing the importance of human oversight and strong governance frameworks. 

“Technology won’t solve all election challenges. It can help, but it is not a panacea,” furthermore he stated, highlighting risks such as data privacy concerns and the growing role of private technology vendors. 

The Symposium concluded with the establishment of regional working groups on AI and Elections, including a dedicated group comprising Sierra Leone, Liberia, The Gambia, Benin, and Nigeria. These outcomes mark an important step toward coordinated regional action, informed by international standards and supported by partners such as International IDEA, to ensure that AI strengthens rather than undermines electoral integrity in West Africa.

International IDEA has a longstanding partnership with ECONEC, formalized through a Memorandum of Understanding and grounded in shared commitments to electoral integrity, democratic governance, and peer learning among election management bodies. This collaboration has steadily deepened under the EU-funded SPEC project which supported the ECONEC’s annual convenings.