By Solomon Gumah
Tamale, Nov. 14, GNA – Twenty-five women and youth, selected from constituencies with female Parliamentary Candidates or an election-related violence hotspot areas in the Northern Region, have been trained as election observers.
The three-day training, which ended in Tamale, equipped participants with skills to effectively monitor the electoral processes to ensure transparency, accountability, and fairness.
It was also to ensure that the roles of women and youth at the forefront of conflict resolutions, social cohesion and peaceful dialogues at community and national levels were upheld as well as promote vigilance, fairness, and transparency in the upcoming general election.
It was organised by the Women, Youth Peace, and Security Institute (WYPSI) of the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) and funded by the Government of Sweden.
In all, a total of 100 election observers in the Greater Accra, Northern, Ashanti and Volta Regions would be trained for the elections this year.
Major General Richard Addo Gyane, Commander of KAIPTC, speaking during the training, said it was also to expose participants to the intricacies of election observation, the importance of impartiality and the critical role of preventing electoral violence.
He explained that election observers played critical roles in detecting and preventing electoral fraud such as ballot stuffing, voter intimidation and vote-buying as they reported irregularities and inconsistencies to enhance the integrity of the electoral process.
He urged participants to showcase objectivity in the elections by gathering and reporting information accurately without distortion or exaggeration as well as avoid making judgements or interpretations based on personal beliefs or opinions.
Dr Victor Doke, a Lecturer at KAIPTC and facilitator for the training, urged participants to apply the lessons learnt to ensure that they played their roles effectively to avoid any outbreak of electoral violence.
Hajia Mariam Iddrisu, Regional Coordinator of WYPSI, expressed optimism that the training would play a key role in enhancing fairness and transparency, especially in the upcoming general election.
GNA