Kofi Ampeah Woode
The Greater Accra Region 3-day training program dubbed “Empowering Women and Youth Election Observers” – a collaborative effort of The Women Situation Room Project Consortium and the Women, Youth Peace and Security (WYPS) Department of the Kofi Annan International Peace Keeping Training Centre (KAIPTC), has kicked off.
The initiative, designed to train 100 gender-responsive election observers, equipping them with the necessary skills to effectively observe and report on the electoral process, in compliance with the regulations set forth by electoral authorities, commenced at the KAIPTC Multipurpose Training Facility (MPTF), on Wednesday 20 November 2024.
The 100 beneficiaries will be split across the Ashanti, Greater Accra, Northern, and Volta Regions, at 25 beneficiaries per Region, and will focus on preparing the beneficiaries who will be deployed to monitor Ghana’s 2024 Presidential and Parliamentary Elections.
The training program aims to empower mediators to: 1) Facilitate dialogues between political parties, community leaders, and electoral stakeholders; 2) Promote peace education and advocacy at regional and community levels; 3) Contribute to early warning and response mechanisms to prevent electoral violence; and 4) Engage in diplomatic efforts to ensure key political players are prepared to accept the election results.
The program will cover essential topics such as Overview of the 2024 General Elections; Introduction to election observation; Code of conduct for election observation; Election observation as conflict prevention mechanism; Utilizing checklists for recording observations and reporting urgent issues.
The funding of the project is through the KAIPTC from the Sweden Government, to cater for the participants with women in the majority, to be mobilized by the Women Situation Room Consortium, led by the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS) Working Group on Women, Youth, Peace and Security in Ghana.
The Deputy Commandant, KAIPTC – Air Commodore (A/Cdre) David Anetey Akrong, who was the Guest of Honour for the commencement ceremony, said the training in the Volta and Northern Regions have been successfully completed, whiles Greater Accra, followed by the Ashanti Regions, take their turns.
He added that as Ghana approaches its critical 2024 general elections, it is imperative that the power of the youth and women to safeguard the country’s democratic processes be harnessed, for which purpose, the training will equip participants with essential skills to effectively monitor the electoral process, ensuring transparency, accountability, and fairness.
He spelt the role of an impartial observer as being crucial to ensuring the credibility and legitimacy of the electoral process, and that any bias or partisanship of the observer, can undermine the trust and confidence of the electorate, and lead to the erosion of democratic norms, social unrest, and even violence.
By opening remarks, the Executive Director, Women in Law & Development in Africa (WiLDAF), Ghana – Ms Melody Dakeh said, the presence and vigilance of gender-responsive election observers, is vital in safeguarding the integrity of the electoral process, and ensuring that the voices of all citizens, especially women, are heard and respected.
“By this training for female election observers, we aim to enhance the representation and influence of women in the electoral process, thereby contributing to a more inclusive and democratic society”, she asserted.
Other collaborators in the training program are Foundation for Security and Development in Africa (FOSDA), African Women Leaders Network (AWLN), and Gender Centre for Empowering Development (GenCED), the United Nations Women, amongst others.
Present at the course’s inauguration included Madam Afua Ansre – UN Women Senior Gender Advisor to the UN Office in Ghana; Mrs Horname Noagbesenu – Director, Policy Planning Monitoring Evaluation Division, KAIPTC; Ms Susan Sugri Batesimah – Administrative Manager, FOSDA.
By Kofi Ampeah-Woode
