ECOWAS Deploys 120 Observers As Ghanians Votes Sat December 7th 2024
By Raymond Enoch.
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has deployed one hundred and twenty observers for the ECOWAS Election Observation Mission (ECOWAS-EOM) to the Presidential and parliamentary Elections in Ghana. The observers were deployed as Ghanians votes today December 7 2024, to determine the fate of leaders who would govern the country in the next four years.
This deployment is part of the ECOWAS electoral assistance to Member States,
It would be noted that H.E. Dr. Omar Alieu Touray, President of the ECOWAS Commission, approved the deployment of twenty (21) long-term observers (LTOs) and one hundred and twenty (120) short-term election observers (STOs) to the 16 Regions and 216 Districts of Ghana to support and monitor the entire electoral process.
The ECOWAS Commission election observers include Members of the ECOWAS Parliament, Community Court of Justice, Representatives from Ministries of foreign Affairs from Member States, Representatives of ECOWAS Permanent Representatives Committee (PRC) in Abuja, ECOWAS Network of Electoral Commissions (ECONEC), and Election Experts from the Region
H.E. Ambassador Mohammed Lawan Gana, the Resident Representative of ECOWAS in Ghana, who had received and welcomed the observers in Accra, Ghana stressed that ECOWAS is fully committed to supporting democratic processes in Member States through electoral assistance. He added that “the peaceful conduct and credible outcome of this election is key to strengthening Ghana’s democratic credentials and would further underscore ECOWAS commitment to enthroning democracy in the Region”.Amb. Abdel-Fatau Musah, the Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security of the ECOWAS Commission, highlighted that ECOWAS electoral assistance to its Member States is in line with the ECOWAS Supplementary Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance of 2001 and the decision of the Authority of Heads of State and Government relating to the timely deployment of pre-electoral missions and observations in the member states organising elections.
H.E. Mohammed Namadi Sambo, former Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is the Head of the ECOWAS Election Observation Mission (EOM) to the Presidential and Parliamentary Elections in Ghana,
According to him “This is a noble call by whatever standards you judge it, as it contributes to our region’s stability, peace, and progress. As you know, an election is a major trigger of violent conflicts in our region and Africa at large. Our work, therefore, is not only to consolidate democracy but also to ensure peace and stability before, during and after elections in our Member States,”
The ECOWAS support includes a $210 million US Dollars grant to key stakeholders (NCCE, NPC, CODEO and FOSDA). This indicates the importance ECOWAS places on peaceful electoral processes in the Region.
