If you’re wondering what hurdles election observers are up against, hold on tight because here’s the reality: Debilitating administrative burdens, limited legal frameworks, closing civic spaces, and lack of collaboration with Electoral Management Bodies (EMBs) and Regional Economic Communities (RECs)​​. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Exploring solutions to some of these persistent challenges African domestic citizen election observers face is exactly what the next Experiential Learning Seminar, hosted by AfEONet in Nairobi, Kenya, from March 24-25, 2024, is all about.

Electoral practitioners will gather in a safe, collaborative, and cross-learning space to build on these challenges and identify solutions by:
– Drawing from and systematically distill lessons learned from observed and monitored elections,
– Sharing best practices for assessing and following up on AU and REC election observation mission (EOM) recommendations,
– Exploring civic tech tools for social media monitoring, election observation, and transparency initiatives,
– Discussing approaches to defuse tensions during electoral periods, and
– Facilitating the co-creation of alternative advocacy and election observation strategies based on evidence and experiential analysis.

Identified recommendations and solutions will to be forwarded to the African Union.