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 Aug 2014 | News and Updates
The use of election technology to ensure integrity and/or enhance transparency in the electoral process can be tremendously effective. Indeed, election administrators have long utilized technology to...
20 Aug 2014 | News and Updates
Within its civic and voter education campaigns in anticipation of the Malian communal elections, the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), in collaboration with the Nigerien NGO...
8 Aug 2014 | Multimedia
The book Elections Worth Dying For? A Selection of Case Studies from Africa examines the roots of violence within election processes in Africa from a variety of perspectives. Watch this...
31 Jul 2014 | News and Updates
U.S. President Barack Obama’s Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) brings together 500 of sub-Saharan Africa’s most promising young leaders between the ages of 25 to 35. Bill Sweeney, President...
17 Jul 2014 | Publication
Burundi is one of few countries in the world to have adopted a gender quota for its legislature in an effort to promote the inclusion and participation of women in the political process. As such, it...
8 Jul 2014 | Multimedia
It is critical to the security and economic development of Niger that citizens' voices are heard. IFES is working with local partners to increase awareness of the risks and rights of workers in the...
24 Jun 2014 | News and Updates
On May 7, 2014, the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) and the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) signed a Memorandum of Understanding. The overarching goal of this collaboration...
19 Jun 2014 | News and Updates
Effective democratic development involves safeguarding inclusive and broad participatory processes that make it possible for underprivileged and traditionally marginalized members of society to have...
19 Jun 2014 | News and Updates
Carl Dundas, former IFES Chief of Party in Nigeria, addresses the challenges of democracy and governance assistance and best practices for success in helping countries implement free and fair...
2 Jun 2014 | News and Updates
So much of the conversation in Washington and in the media on Africa tends to focus on the violent and tragic events transpiring on the continent. And while there is much work to be done by African...
20 Mar 2014 | News and Updates
In the first quarter of 2011, the National Elections Commission (NEC) – with IFES support – conducted a nationwide voter registration drive to compile a voter register that was used for the 2011...
19 Feb 2014 | News and Updates
IFES and the National Democratic Institute (NDI) organized a study mission for high-ranking members of Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and INEC’s Electoral Institute from...
18 Dec 2013 | News and Updates
Professor Jega, Chairman of Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), answers some questions about implementing successful elections, his plans for 2015 and the INEC’s...
5 Dec 2013 | News and Updates
A statement from International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) President and CEO Bill Sweeney on the passing of former South African President and equal rights advocate Nelson Mandela.
27 Nov 2013 | News and Updates
On Sunday, November 24, Mali held legislative elections, marking the second set of polls held in the country in 2013. IFES' team in Mali answers some questions about Election Day in November and what...
26 Nov 2013 | News and Updates
Mauritania held legislative and municipal elections on Saturday, November 23. Pierre Kadi Sossou, IFES Senior Electoral Operations Specialist in Mauritania, answers some questions about the poll and...
21 Nov 2013 | News and Updates
Christiana Thorpe, Chief Electoral Commissioner and Chairperson of the National Electoral Commission (NEC) of Sierra Leone, is a trailblazer in election management. As her tenure comes to an end, she...
19 Nov 2013 | Election FAQ
All eyes will be on western Africa for the first rounds of key legislative elections in Mauritania on November 23 and in Mali on November 24. IFES' FAQs shed light on these polls.
2 Oct 2013 | News and Updates
Guinea held parliamentary elections on September 28, 2013 – years after the elections were due. IFES Chief of Party in Guinea Elizabeth Côté answers questions on what they...
17 Sep 2013 | Election FAQ
On September 24, Guineans head to the polls to elect a new National Assembly. IFES' frequently asked questions (FAQs) Elections in Guinea: September 24 Legislative Elections shed light on the polls.
18 Aug 2013 | News and Updates
The International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) is honored to join the Women’s Network in Cote d’Ivoire at the official presentation of recommendations to Ivoirian institutions...
30 Jul 2013 | Publication
Since its birth, South Sudan has taken progressive steps toward creating an inclusive government – attempting to achieve gender equality in all levels of government. In July 2013, IFES and...
29 Jul 2013 | News and Updates
On July 28, Malians cast ballots for their next President. This was the first nationwide poll under a new constitution adopted after a March 2012 coup d’état that overthrew then...
25 Jul 2013 | Election FAQ
The July 31 election in Zimbabwe will be the first nationwide poll under the country's new constitution, bringing a formal end to the Global Political Agreement established after the disputed 2008...
24 Jul 2013 | Election FAQ
On Sunday, Malian voters will cast ballots for President of the Republic. The election is considered an important next step in the nation’s return to democracy after a widely-condemned coup d’...
17 Jul 2013 | News and Updates
Kamissa Camara, a Regional Program Officer for West Africa at the National Endowment for Democracy, has spent most of her career working on projects that foster political development in Africa. She...
12 Jun 2013 | Multimedia
Kenya's March 4 election ushered in the first elected government under the country’s new constitution. The election was widely regarded as credible and peaceful and, in the end, Uhuru Kenyatta was...
21 Mar 2013 | Multimedia
Women continue to lack equal access, despite making up more than half of the world's population. This video shows women from every region of the globe sharing their thoughts on why it is important to...
21 Mar 2013 | Survey
IFES conducted a survey of voting-age adults in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) through face-to-face interviews in the fall of 2012. The survey was designed to evaluate civic and voter...
7 Mar 2013 | Multimedia
Today, Friday, March 8, IFES celebrates 2013 International Women’s Day. For over 25 years, IFES has worked to ensure all individuals, men and women, participate equally in the political process...
5 Mar 2013 | News and Updates
Ahead of the March 4, 2013 general elections, the country focused on introducing reforms and improvements to prevent and curtail election violence, including the introduction of a new constitution, a...
5 Mar 2013 | Multimedia
On March 4, 2013, Kenyans went to the polls to vote for president, senator and assemblyperson. These were the first elections since the 2007 polls, which resulted in widespread violence, and under...
3 Mar 2013 | News and Updates
IFES President and CEO Bill Sweeney traveled to Kenya for the 2013 general elections. Through this feature, he shares his experiences ahead of and on the day of the pivotal poll.
27 Feb 2013 | Election FAQ
IFES' frequently asked questions (FAQs) on Elections in Kenya: March 4 General Elections explain, among other things, the effects of the violence from the 2007 elections, important aspects of the new...
22 Feb 2013 | Multimedia
Civil society organizations are an important part of Tunisia's democratization process and can play a strong role in shaping the political culture. In this podcast, we discuss the roles of CSO as...
21 Feb 2013 | Multimedia
It is important that Nigeriens have a voice in the way resources from their country are used. Genuine and transparent citizen participation is vital to the African nation’s economic development...
20 Feb 2013 | Multimedia
It is critical to the security and economic development of Niger that citizens' voices are heard. IFES is working with local partners to increase awareness of the risks and rights of workers in the...
22 Jan 2013 | Multimedia
While elections and democratic transitions are significant to a country’s advancement, some events have the potential to make not only a regional impact, but a global impact as well.
This...
20 Dec 2012 | News and Updates
In 2009, Zimbabwe formed a Government of National Unity to overcome a political impasse. One of this government’s main tasks is to draft a new constitution for the country that will determine,...
20 Dec 2012 | News and Updates
Although the constitution of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) makes provisions for parity between men and women with a view to fair and equitable participation in the management of the city...
20 Dec 2012 | News and Updates
Following the 2007 general elections that resulted in political violence, Kenya has adopted a new constitution and made widespread modifications to its electoral system. Mike Yard, IFES Chief of...
17 Dec 2012 | News and Updates
Women in Côte d’Ivoire represent a strong, productive force in the economy. However, gender equality, as proclaimed in Ivorian law, is still not always applied in practice. Samira...
17 Dec 2012 | News and Updates
The Democratic Republic of the Congo has ratified a number of international conventions on the protection of women and ending discrimination against them. But it is clear there is a gap between what...
5 Dec 2012 | Publication
Ghana’s December 7 elections will be the first since the country’s 2012 biometric voter registration initiative, which produced new voter ID cards and generated a voter list of over 14...
27 Nov 2012 | Multimedia
A mandate of the newly appointed Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) of Kenya is to enable diaspora voting. In order to promote better understanding among officials and...
19 Nov 2012 | News and Updates
On Saturday, November 17, Sierra Leone held the country’s third presidential election since the decade-long civil war came to an end in 2002. The November 17 poll was also the first election...
14 Nov 2012 | Publication
The November 17 elections in Sierra Leone will be the first since the end of the civil war in 2002 that the National Electoral Commission has taken a primary role in organizing and executing. To help...
2 Oct 2012 | News and Updates
Maimuna Mwidau, a women's advocate from Kenya and a 2012 Charles T. Manatt Democracy Award recipient, has worked to advance gender equality throughout Africa. Kenya's 2010 constitution, which...
17 Sep 2012 | Multimedia
Watch an engaging conversation with prominent women's advocate Maimuna Mwidau and IFES Deputy Director for Africa Abigail Wilson on the progress women have made over the last half decade and the...
29 Aug 2012 | Publication
Angola’s upcoming presidential and National Assembly elections, scheduled for August 31, will be the first peacetime presidential election in Angola’s history, and the first election...
15 Aug 2012 | Multimedia
In order gain precise insight into the effect of its adult civic education program in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), IFES implemented the VOICE Impact Evaluation study.