AAEA General Assembly - Ghana, 2025
The General Assembly of the Association of African Electoral Authorities (AAEA) was held on March 15th 2025 in Accra, Ghana. The event brought together representatives of Election Management Bodies (EMBs) from across the African continent to discuss key priorities related to electoral governance and integrity.
The meeting highlighted the importance of strengthening coordination and peer-to-peer cooperation among EMBs in order to enhance institutional resilience, electoral integrity, and democratic governance across the continent. Discussions also emphasized the value of regional solidarity and experience-sharing in addressing common electoral challenges, including political instability, security risks, technological developments, and operational constraints affecting election administration in Africa.
The European Centre for Electoral Support provided technical and operational support to the General Assembly, including logistics, visibility, accommodation, translation, interpretation, and meeting coordination. This support is part of ECES’ continued collaboration with the African Union Commission and the AAEA, supported by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, aimed at reinforcing the capacities and institutional sustainability of African electoral authorities and promoting a common culture of democratic governance and electoral integrity across the continent.
9th Annual Continental Forum of Election Management Bodies - Ghana
The African Union Department of Political Affairs, Peace and Security (DPAPS) of the African Union Commission (AUC), in collaboration with the Association of African Electoral Authorities (AAEA) with the support of the European Centre for Electoral Support (ECES), organised the 9th Annual Continental Forum of Election Management Bodies (EMBs) on 12th and 13th March 2025 in Accra, Ghana.
The forum convened under the theme: “All Votes Count: Addressing the Problem of Invalid or Rejected Ballots in Africa”. The theme seeks to address the increasing incidence of invalid or rejected ballots in elections on the continent over a period of time, which is notably above the global average. At the center of this entrenched problem is the elusive choice for voters to elect their leaders.
The forum was the ninth in a row, is one of the flagship policy platforms of the Department of Political Affairs, Peace and Security (PAPS) of the AUC aimed at promoting good governance and participatory democracy through fostering peer-learning and harnessing lesson-learning in election management on the continent of Africa and also part of the PAPS’ overall strategy on electoral assistance to the Member States in line with the mandate bestowed upon the AUC under Article 18 of the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance.
