Zambia Electoral Commission Customised Introduction to Electoral Administration Modular workshop

By Emmanuel Kawishe

Customised Introduction to Electoral Administration Module, Lusaka – Zambia 28 November – 4 December 2022

On 28^th November to 4 December 2022, the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) senior management officers convened in Lusaka City, Zambia, to attend a BRIDGE modular course on Customised Introduction to Electoral Administration. The twenty-five participants (seven women and eighteen men) were drawn from different departments (IT, Legal, Internal Audit, Supply, Voter Education and Elections Operations). The facilitation team composed of the Lead Facilitator from Zimbabwe, and supported by 2 Co-Facilitators Ms. Rejoice Sibanda from Zimbabwe Electoral Commission and Mr. Emmanuel Kawishe from Tanzania Electoral Commission. The workshop was co-sponsored by UNDP Democracy Strengthening in Zambia (DSZ) 2020-2023 project and the Electoral Commission of Zambia. The DSZ is a multi-donor basket fund managed by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

The workshop introduced the participants to the BRIDGE historical background and the learning methodology, which has a strong emphasis on adult learning techniques by capitalizing on individual experience, knowledge sharing and peer learning. Despite the fact that most participants were coming from more technical department they quickly familiarized themselves with the BRIDGE methodology and excelled in participation.

 The customised tailor-made Introduction to Electoral Administration BRIDGE training was necessitated by past reviews with regard to the effective and efficient management of elections. The purpose of the training was to equip identified selected members of staff with the knowledge and skills of managing elections and ensuring credibility, acceptance and enhance stakeholder confidence in the electoral process and the subsequent election outcomes.

The participants were actively participating and said they enjoyed each and every moment of the training and look forward to use BRIDGE methodology and training techniques in their training programmes, particularly for the coming continuous biometric voter registration.

The objectives of the course were achieved as participants acquired knowledge about voter registration, voter and civic education, gender and disability, cyber security, electoral operations and strategic planning.

Some of the comments participants said were:

-very educational

They enjoyed the BRIDGE methodology and curriculum

-Facilitators were great and knowledgeable

-This event is a life-changer and memorable