Africa
A continent with unique challenges and political contexts, the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) has worked in over 20 countries in sub-Saharan Africa over the past three decades. From Nigeria to Kenya and Liberia to Guinea, IFES programming seeks to advance good governance and democratic rights by providing technical assistance to election officials; empower the underrepresented to participate in the political process; and apply field-based research to improve the electoral cycle.
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Current Activities
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Acting Regional Director, Africa
Related Content
17 Jun 2021 | News and Updates
On June 20, the International Foundation for Electoral Systems marks World Refugee Day in solidarity with persons who are forced to flee their homes due to conflict, climate disasters or other...
7 Jun 2021 | Election FAQ
On Monday, June 21, Ethiopian voters will go to the polls for general elections. To help you understand this important electoral process, IFES provides Frequently Asked Questions.
25 May 2021 | Publication
How can violence monitoring efforts and early warning systems better integrate gender-sensitive indicators?
18 May 2021 | Publication
How can democracy and governance programs be more effective in post-conflict environments?
12 May 2021 | News and Updates
Through collaboration, partnerships, information sharing, peace messaging and citizen engagement, the Kimpact Development Initiative contributed to the conduct of peaceful elections in Edo and Ondo...
12 May 2021 | News and Updates
In the summer of 2020, IFES offered in-depth online trainings on the Democratic Republic of the Congo's electoral systems and gender inclusion in the legal framework and reform processes.
22 Apr 2021 | Publication
A new study from IFES focuses on the different practices that EMBs have implemented on the African continent to include traditionally underrepresented voters, such as women and persons with...
14 Apr 2021 | News and Updates
Election disputes are a natural outgrowth of the electoral process, and having mechanisms to properly and fairly consider those disputes is vital to electoral integrity. The International Foundation...
1 Apr 2021 | Publication
How can key stakeholders plan for climate-related risks to democracy? How can environmentally displaced persons participate safely and equally in political life?
19 Mar 2021 | News and Updates
Racial discrimination is a plague to societies worldwide. It continues to hinder democratic progress and cause suffering that affects individuals, communities and institutions. The intentional and...
16 Mar 2021 | News and Updates
IFES has identified challenges common across election management bodies and considers how these have been compounded by COVID-19.
5 Mar 2021 | News and Updates
In November 2020, IFES facilitated a strategic communications training for staff members of The Gambia’s Independent Electoral Commission.
26 Jan 2021 | News and Updates
Within the evolving public health crisis and the economic uncertainty that it has wrought, we will witness several consequential elections around the globe in the months ahead.
23 Dec 2020 | Election FAQ
On Sunday, December 27, Nigerien voters will go to the polls for legislative elections and the first round of the presidential election.
3 Dec 2020 | News and Updates
This year's theme is "Building Back Better: toward a disability-inclusive, accessible and sustainable post COVID-19 World."
17 Nov 2020 | Election FAQ
On Sunday, November 22, Burkinabè voters will go to the polls for presidential, legislative and provincial elections. The elections constitute a...
25 Aug 2020 | News and Updates
In celebration of International Youth Day 2020, IFES hosted a Facebook Live event on "Young Leaders Building Sustainable Democracies." The event featured young leaders from Nepal, Nigeria and Ukraine.
20 Aug 2020 | Publication
An IFES white paper presents considerations and recommendations for electoral reform in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to shore up the credibility of future elections.
12 Aug 2020 | News and Updates
From July 27-30, IFES partnered with The Gambia’s Independent Electoral Commission to virtually deliver part one of IFES’ Executive Curriculum in Electoral Leadership (iEXCEL) training for...
29 Jul 2020 | News and Updates
Understanding voters’ fears about going to the polls amid COVID-19 is crucial to creating a safe voting environment. Having conducted nationwide surveys in three countries, IFES has some preliminary...
18 Jun 2020 | Election FAQ
Malawians voted in presidential, parliamentary and local government elections in May 2019. Malawi is now expected to hold a rerun presidential election on Tuesday, June 23.
10 Jun 2020 | Multimedia
Nigeria's Independent National Electoral Commission recently drafted a policy on conducting elections in the context of COVID-19 and has been gathering feedback. IFES' Hermann Thiel participated...
26 May 2020 | News and Updates
Elections will likely have to continue to adapt to COVID-19 over the next two years. African election management bodies should put the health and safety of voters first while ensuring the integrity...
29 Apr 2020 | News and Updates
IFES President and CEO Anthony Branbury joined the Boston Consulting Group for an online Public Sector Leadership Roundtable on April 17, 2020. Their conversation focused on...
15 Apr 2020 | News and Updates
Many countries use indelible ink to ensure that voters cannot cast multiple ballots. Hand-sanitizing procedures, recommended to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, could also affect the ink’s...
14 Apr 2020 | News and Updates
Amidst the uncertainty of COVID-19, many countries are grappling with how to modify election procedures to minimize the risk of transmission or change the system for voting completely to avoid the...
14 Apr 2020 | Publication
The COVID-19 pandemic is not just a health crisis: It is also a political crisis that urgently requires political and governance solutions. A new CEPPS white paper focuses on six critical issues...
8 Apr 2020 | News and Updates
In an op-ed for Devex, IFES' Anthony Banbury shares lessons learned from the Ebola crisis as guidance for holding elections and averting a democracy crisis during COVID-19.
30 Mar 2020 | News and Updates
Without a strong foundation for democratic resilience, a global health crisis can shock democratic institutions and offer a blank check to governments to use emergency powers to curtail political...
27 Mar 2020 | News and Updates
All electoral activities planned for the near future will be affected one way or another by the COVID-19 pandemic. Election commissions need sound advice and technical assistance to navigate the...
20 Mar 2020 | Publication
Elections around the world have been impacted by COVID-19. IFES has called upon its global network to aggregate the latest information on election postponements, adjusted election dates and risk-...
19 Mar 2020 | Publication
IFES offers expert guidance and best practices to help guide election management bodies’ planning and implementation of electoral events during this global health crisis. Herein we explore risk...
19 Mar 2020 | News and Updates
Read IFES President and CEO Anthony Banbury's message about the impact of the novel coronavirus crisis and how IFES is responding.
24 Jan 2020 | News and Updates
The International Day of Education, commemorated on January 24th, celebrates education and its centrality to sustainable development. For more than 30 years, IFES has conducted civic education...
15 Jan 2020 | News and Updates
Residents of Ethiopia's Sidama Zone voted in a referendum for regional autonomy on November 20. With results demonstrating that approximately 98.5 percent voted in support of statehood, Sidama...
3 Jan 2020 | Survey
In 2019, IFES conducted a nationwide public opinion survey to examine perceptions of the integrity of Nigeria’s 2019 elections, the electoral process and citizens’ Election Day experiences. The...
12 Dec 2019 | News and Updates
Protestors and demonstrators around the world are demanding more responsive democratic institutions. Even in the midst of widespread backsliding, the ballot box and elections remain a mechanism to...
3 Dec 2019 | News and Updates
The annual International Day of Persons with Disabilities, held on December 3, commemorates the human rights of persons with disabilities. In 2019, IFES partnered with disabled people’s...
25 Nov 2019 | News and Updates
In September 2019, IFES Manatt Fellow Tinashe Hofisi presented on presidential election petitions in Kenya, Sierra Leone, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe at the 14th Annual Symposium of the...
25 Nov 2019 | News and Updates
From October 30-November 1, 2019, IFES participated in the Fourth African Judicial Dialogue in Uganda. IFES Manatt Fellow Tinashe Hofisi presented his paper on presidential election petitions in...
19 Nov 2019 | Election FAQ
Ethiopia is a federation with nine regional states that can choose their official language and have limited powers over taxation, education, health and land administration. On November 20, residents...
14 Oct 2019 | News and Updates
On August 26, IFES and Nigeria-based youth civil society organization Yiaga Africa signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). This MoU formalizes a partnership between the two organizations, guided...
4 Oct 2019 | News and Updates
Democracy for a better future. | Together we build democracies that deliver for all.
17 May 2019 | Election FAQ
On May 21, Malawian citizens went to the polls for general elections. This was only the second time that Malawi conducted presidential, parliamentary and local government elections on the same day....
2 May 2019 | News and Updates
IFES is working to establish regional peer networks of election arbiters, which allow judges and election commissioners to discuss best practices and share comparative examples of how other countries...
16 Apr 2019 | News and Updates
IFES partnered with the Research Network on Peace Operations to support women working on women, peace and security issues from across the Sahel region and Côte d’Ivoire during a training held from...
16 Apr 2019 | News and Updates
On March 14, IFES and the Carter Center co-hosted a parallel event on “Effective Protection From Online Violence Against Women in Politics” at the 63rd United Nations Commission on the Status of...
28 Feb 2019 | News and Updates
On February 23, Nigerians went to the polls to cast their votes in the presidential and National Assembly elections. The 2019 elections are another test for the overall functionality and...
27 Feb 2019 | Multimedia
IFES produced two smart card reader training videos for poll workers in Nigeria, which will be used to refresh poll workers during trainings prior to the opening of polls and as a reference on...
21 Feb 2019 | News and Updates
On February 16, Nigeria's Independent National Electoral Commission announced the postponement of highly anticipated general elections. IFES has provided critical support to Nigerian election...
20 Feb 2019 | News and Updates
Effective legal mechanisms need to be established – well in advance of elections – to detect and remedy electoral manipulation in real time and support the acceptance of electoral results. In...