A BRIDGE Training the Facilitator delivered in Portuguese in the thriving capital of Angola, Luanda

Improving the skills and self-confidence of Angolan electoral stakeholders in training techniques using the adult participatory and interactive approach of BRIDGE has been the fundamental objective of the Train the Facilitator (TtF) workshop held in the capital of Angola, Luanda, between the 13 and the 23 October 2011.

The ten working days course was organized in collaboration with the National Elections Commission of Angola (CNE) and the Angolan Institute of Electoral Systems and Democracy (IASED). It was fully conducted in Portuguese at the HTCA Conference Center of Talatona and comprised many of the standard BRIDGE TtF activities related to facilitation and knowledge transfer of election administration topics. 

The level of participation and commitment was very high throughout and the 18 participants included members of the CNE and of the Ministry of Territorial Administration (MAT) with also a large representation of civil society organizations dealing with the electoral process in addition of IASDE such as:

• the Angolan Electoral Network (REA),
• the Angolan Electoral Platform¸
• the National Council of Youth and
• the Women’s Network.

The facilitators for the course were Deryck Fritz, training specialist of the project, Fabio Bargiacchi, Chief Technical Advisor of the Pro PALOP TL project and Claudio Langa, Director of Civic Education and Training Directorate of the Technical Secretariat of the Administration of Elections in Mozambique (STAE).

Claudio Langa co-facilitate the sessions following an agreement signed by the STAE and the project in July 2011 for three BRIDGE accredited facilitators of the STAE to work within the BRIDGE Pro PALOP-TL activities. (Claudio Langa himself, Felisberto Naife, Director General of STAE, and Cesar Pereira da Silva, Head of the Training Department).

This approach is at the core of the capacity development activities of the Pro PALOP-TL project that targets the strengthening of the South – South cooperation, as well as learning and exchange of practitioners from the PALOP countries and Timor Leste. 

The Pro PALOP-TL project, via the implementation of an articulated BRIDGE strategy, targets an exponential increase of the awareness and use of tools and resources available for building and maintaining a sustainable electoral culture in each of the beneficiary countries of the project geographically concentrated on strengthening electoral processes and institutions in Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea Bissau, Mozambique, Sao Tome and Principe, and Timor Leste. 

The project is fully funded by the EU with 6.1 million EURO, implemented by UNDP with the office in Guinea Bissau acting as chef de file and a liaison office in Maputo.

Given the necessity to stay closer to beneficiaries and partners, recently the liaison office of the Pro PALOP-TL in Brussels was closed and another one opened in Maputo within the premises of the STAE in consideration of the close collaboration between the STAE and the Pro PALOP-TL project on diverse activities.

In this context, it is important to underline that Mozambique is the country that coordinate the activities of cooperation funded by the EU in favour of the PALOP countries and Timor Leste within the framework of the European Development Funds which is also the source of funding of the project.

The Pro PALOP TL project is finalizing with Angolan counterparts the dates to deliver three BRIDGE thematic workshops within March 2012 (voter registration, media & elections and electoral dispute resolution) and an innovative training on leadership and conflict management skills for electoral administration.

Click on the following links for more information on:

• the BRIDGE strategy of the Pro PALOP-TL: http://www.bridge-project.org/news/africa/916-bridge-and-the-portuguese-speaking-countries-in-africa-and-timor-leste.
• The project in general:www.propalop-tl.org
• Latest news of the project in Facebook: www.facebook.com/propalop.tl