The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has taken a significant step in ensuring the smooth conduct of the upcoming Presidential and parliamentary Elections in Ghana. With the deployment of one hundred and twenty observers for the ECOWAS Election Observation Mission (ECOWAS-EOM), the regional body is demonstrating its commitment to supporting democratic processes in Member States.
The observers, comprising twenty-one long-term observers (LTOs) and one hundred and twenty short-term election observers (STOs), were deployed in Accra on December 5, 2024, ahead of the December 7 General Elections. These observers, drawn from various ECOWAS institutions and Member States, will be stationed in the 16 Regions and 216 Districts of Ghana to monitor the electoral process and provide support where necessary.
H.E. Ambassador Mohammed Lawan Gana, the Resident Representative of ECOWAS in Ghana, emphasized the importance of a peaceful and credible electoral outcome in strengthening Ghana’s democratic credentials. He reiterated ECOWAS’s unwavering commitment to promoting democracy in the region and ensuring that elections are conducted in a transparent, free, fair, and peaceful manner.
Amb. Abdel-Fatau Musah, the Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security of the ECOWAS Commission, highlighted the organization’s electoral assistance as stipulated in the ECOWAS Supplementary Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance of 2001. This assistance aligns with the decision of the Authority of Heads of State and Government to deploy pre-electoral missions and observations in Member States organizing elections.
Leading the ECOWAS Election Observation Mission is H.E. Mohammed Namadi Sambo, former Vice President of Nigeria, who expressed gratitude to the observers for their willingness to serve the community. He emphasized the crucial role of elections in ensuring stability, peace, and progress in the region, noting that electoral processes can be triggers for violent conflicts. Vice President Sambo urged the observers to uphold ECOWAS standards and ensure that the election in Ghana is conducted transparently, fairly, and inclusively.
In its support for the democratic process in Ghana, ECOWAS has provided a $210 thousand US Dollars grant to key stakeholders such as the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), National Peace Council (NPC), Coalition of Domestic Election Observers (CODEO), and Foundation for Security and Development in Africa (FOSDA). This financial assistance underscores ECOWAS’s commitment to promoting peaceful electoral processes in the region.
As the ECOWAS Election Observation Mission unfolds in Ghana, the regional body remains dedicated to accompanying the government and the people through the electoral process. By upholding democratic principles and ensuring a peaceful and credible election, ECOWAS aims to foster stability and progress in the West African region.
This article was distributed by APO Group on behalf of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
