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.
Current Field Offices
Current Activities
Related Experts See All IFES Experts
Acting Regional Director, Africa
Related Content
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...
16 Feb 2019 | Election FAQ
Nigerian citizens were scheduled to go the polls for general elections on February 16 and March 2. On February 16, the Independent National Electoral Commission announced a postponement of the...
29 Jan 2019 | Publication
As part of its annual report, the Wilson Center Africa Program asked IFES Regional Director for Africa Rushdi Nackerdien to contribute an essay on campaign finance. His piece, “Political Campaign...
28 Dec 2018 | Election FAQ
On December 30, Congolese citizens went to the polls to vote in presidential, national and provincial elections. If the elections took place without violence, this would be the first peaceful...
21 Dec 2018 | News and Updates
This has been a year of transition for IFES as we welcomed Tony Banbury as our new leader and bid farewell to former President and CEO Bill Sweeney. Throughout 2018, the IFES team continued...
3 Dec 2018 | News and Updates
The annual International Day of Persons with Disabilities, held on December 3, commemorates the human rights of persons with disabilities. The theme for this year’s International Day of Persons with...
28 Nov 2018 | News and Updates
As an organization dedicated to helping citizens have a voice in elections, IFES is partnering with institutions and organizations to deliver electoral processes with integrity in over 25 countries...
16 Nov 2018 | News and Updates
On November 14, 2018, Vasu Mohan, IFES' regional director for Asia-Pacific and technical lead on elections, conflict and security, provided testimony to the House of Representatives’ Tom Lantos Human...
14 Nov 2018 | News and Updates
Earlier this year, IFES research in Zimbabwe found that women engaging in elections as candidates, voters and journalists were experiencing devastating sexual extortion, physical violence, harassment...
9 Nov 2018 | News and Updates
On September 9, IFES and the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) of The Gambia co-organized a workshop on the theme “Elections in The Gambia: Toward Consensus and Access,” which was attended by...
1 Nov 2018 | News and Updates
IFES welcomes former Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations Anthony (Tony) Banbury as its new President and CEO. Banbury brings 30 years of experience in public service to IFES, with...
13 Sep 2018 | News and Updates
IFES is working to establish peer networks in Europe and Eurasia and Africa, supported by the United States Agency for International Development. Regional knowledge exchange allows judges and...
11 Sep 2018 | News and Updates
IFES’ Kenya Electoral System Support project collaborated with Women Challenged to Challenge (WCC), an umbrella disabled people’s organization, to develop a policy platform document that will support...
11 Sep 2018 | News and Updates
On August 8, 2018, the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) announced that President Joseph Kabila will not be running during the country’s highly anticipated elections set...
10 Aug 2018 | News and Updates
IFES celebrates International Youth Day 2018 with a weeklong social media campaign to showcase the importance of youth participation in democratic and political processes. This year’s theme, Safe...
5 Aug 2018 | News and Updates
The Universities and Colleges Student Peace Association of Kenya (UCSPAK) was given a grant by IFES to carry out civic education in universities to target first-time voters ahead of the 2017 general...
2 Aug 2018 | News and Updates
IFES will honor former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia with its 2018 Charles T. Manatt Democracy Award at a special ceremony on September 24, in Washington, D.C.
26 Jul 2018 | News and Updates
During the 2017 electoral period in Kenya, IFES supported the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission in deploying a dynamic youth outreach strategy as part of the United States Agency for...
24 Jul 2018 | Publication
Zimbabwe is scheduled to hold general elections on July 30, which may be the foundation for a new political era. Violence Against Women in Elections in Zimbabwe: An IFES Assessment demonstrates...
23 Jul 2018 | Election FAQ
On July 30, Zimbabwean citizens went to the polls for general elections. Former President Robert Mugabe resigned in November 2017 after 37 years in office, and this major political transition raised...
23 Jul 2018 | News and Updates
On July 24, the United Kingdom Department for International Development, the International Disability Alliance and the Government of Kenya will host the first-ever Global Disability Summit. IFES...
20 Jul 2018 | Election FAQ
On July 29, Mali held a presidential election, the country's fifth democratic presidential election since the introduction of multiparty politics in 1991. To help you understand this...
16 Jul 2018 | News and Updates
On June 12, 2018, Mark Kaigwa, the CEO and founder of Nendo, joined IFES for an event, “On the Border of Truth: Defense Against Social Media Propaganda,” which featured a presentation and discussion...
27 Jun 2018 | News and Updates
The Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) manages local elections within 20 local government areas in Nigeria, serving over 6 million registered voters, the most of any state in the...
15 Jun 2018 | News and Updates
On June 14, 2018, IFES President and CEO Bill Sweeney submitted written testimony to the House Foreign Affairs Committee on “Democracy Promotion in a Challenging World.”
13 Jun 2018 | News and Updates
Zimbabwe will hold its much-anticipated harmonized elections on July 30, when citizens will vote for president, 201 constituency seats in the National Assembly, and seats in the urban and rural local...
12 Jun 2018 | Publication
Mechanisms for election dispute resolution must increasingly withstand new forms of sophisticated political and electoral manipulation. A new IFES research paper, Elections on Trial: The...
5 Jun 2018 | News and Updates
On May 6, 40 Kenyan youth leaders graduated from IFES' Youth Mentorship initiative as part of a youth civic and voter education project called Changamka, a Swahili word which loosely translates...
30 May 2018 | News and Updates
In Kenya, the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) is mandated to conduct continuous voter education and in 2017, ahead of the Kenyan general elections, the IEBC set out to work...
23 May 2018 | News and Updates
IFES has worked with local partner Act Change Transform (Act!) under the U.S. Agency for International Development-funded Kenya Electoral Assistance Program (KEAP) to implement a series of large-...
18 May 2018 | Publication
In March 2018, the Consortium for Elections and Political Process Strengthening assessed the status of electoral preparations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo ahead of the presidential,...
16 May 2018 | News and Updates
In preparation for the Sierra Leone elections on March 7, 2018, IFES launched the USAID-funded Sierra Leone Election Dialogue Series Project and worked closely with the National Electoral Commission...
13 Apr 2018 | News and Updates
With presidential and National Assembly elections scheduled for February 16, 2019, Nigerian election officials are looking to build on the successful, peaceful transfer of power that came with the...
12 Apr 2018 | News and Updates
On April 10, 2018, IFES Senior Global Electoral Adviser Peter Erben delivered opening remarks on “Raising Trust in Electoral Technology: Innovation Aided by Traditional Approaches” at the “...
2 Mar 2018 | Election FAQ
On March 7, Sierra Leone held general elections, with voters choosing their next president and representatives in Parliament and local councils. The elections represent the fifth straight...
21 Feb 2018 | News and Updates
On February 12, IFES Africa Director Rushdi Nackerdien briefed the United Nations Security Council during an Arria Formula Meeting on “The Electoral Process in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.”...
12 Feb 2018 | News and Updates
In addition to traditional voter education, the International Foundation for Electoral Systems' “Kenya Electoral Assistance Program” (KEAP) used creative ways to educate the public ahead of the...
31 Jan 2018 | Publication
As part of its annual report, the Wilson Center Africa Program asked IFES Regional Director for Africa Rushdi Nackerdien to contribute an essay on recent African elections. His piece, “The Elections...
20 Dec 2017 | Multimedia
In this episodes of “Dialogues on Democracy,” IFES Senior Gender Specialist Gabrielle Bardall talks with IFES Africa Deputy Regional Director Laurie Cooper about the state of women in politics in...
20 Dec 2017 | Multimedia
IFES Liberia's “Elections and You” success story features Korta Togba, of the New Liberia Media Initiative, explaining how IFES’ support enabled messages about the importance of peaceful elections to...
19 Dec 2017 | News and Updates
Women with disabilities often face barriers such as multiple forms of discrimination and lack access to decision-making processes as a result of their intersectional identities. IFES and Women...
19 Dec 2017 | Election FAQ
On October 10, more than 1.64 million Liberians cast their ballots for a new president from among 20 candidates. To help you understand this important electoral process, IFES provides Frequently...
11 Dec 2017 | News and Updates
IFES and the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in December to further collaboration toward improving the prevention and resolution of violations of...
2 Nov 2017 | News and Updates
Mike Yard is a recognized international election administration and technology expert with over 25 years of experience. He has advised election authorities in over 15 countries and served as the...
25 Oct 2017 | Election FAQ
On October 26, Kenyan voters will return to the polls for rerun presidential elections following a Supreme Court ruling that annulled the results of the August 8 presidential elections. To help...
18 Oct 2017 | News and Updates
After decades of conflict and civil war, Liberia’s October 2017 landmark general elections represent a critical juncture for the country’s democracy. Liberians are poised to witness the first...
11 Oct 2017 | Multimedia
On October 10, Liberians went to the polls to elect their next president and vice president and all 73 members of the House of Representatives. IFES worked closely with the National Elections...
9 Oct 2017 | Multimedia
Conducting elections in Liberia is a challenging endeavor. Along with a lack of basic transportation and communications infrastructure, over half the population (53%) is illiterate. As such, civic...
8 Oct 2017 | News and Updates
In this Q&A, days ahead of Liberia’s pivotal general elections, IFES Liberia Chief of Party Parvinder Singh discusses the challenges of conducting elections in Liberia, IFES’ work with the...
6 Oct 2017 | News and Updates
On September 13, 2017, International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) Regional Director for Africa Rushdi Nackerdien provided testimony to the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa,...
4 Oct 2017 | News and Updates
In this video message, Dr. Thorpe explains how an IFES review of the NEC, documented in a report, became the blueprint for her tenure as head of the NEC.