By Nkechi Eze
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Monday welcomed a high-powered delegation from the National Election Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) and the Coalition of Ethiopian Civil Society Organisations for Elections (CECOE) to its headquarters in Abuja, marking the start of a week-long knowledge exchange programme aimed at strengthening democratic institutions and promoting credible elections across the African continent.
The Ethiopian delegation, led by NEBE’s Deputy Chairman, Mr. Tesfaye Neway, was received by the INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, who described the visit as a significant milestone in advancing continental cooperation on electoral governance and institutional development.
In his welcome remarks, Professor Yakubu noted that both INEC and NEBE share similar constitutional mandates in conducting elections and ensuring credibility in the democratic process. He explained that the one-week working visit would include nine technical sessions covering every stage of the Nigerian electoral process, ranging from planning, voter registration, and technology deployment to stakeholder engagement, election monitoring, and result management.
“INEC and NEBE perform similar constitutional responsibilities, and this visit provides an opportunity for mutual learning,” Prof. Yakubu stated. “Over the next week, we will share various aspects of the Nigerian experience, particularly in the use of technology, inclusivity in the electoral process, and stakeholder engagement. This visit also coincides with our ongoing voter registration exercise in the Federal Capital Territory ahead of the February 2026 FCT Area Council Elections, giving our guests the opportunity to observe voter registration in real time.”
The INEC Chairman commended the German Agency for International Development (GIZ) in Ethiopia for facilitating the exchange visit and reaffirmed the Commission’s commitment to deepening partnerships with African electoral bodies. “Through collaboration, we can collectively strengthen electoral integrity and public confidence in the democratic process,” he added.
Speaking on behalf of the Ethiopian delegation, Mr. Tesfaye Neway expressed appreciation to INEC for the warm reception and underscored the importance of inter-institutional learning in improving electoral management across the continent.
“Our presence here is part of an institutional learning and experience-sharing visit designed to build strategic partnerships between NEBE and INEC,” he said. “We believe democracy grows stronger when electoral bodies learn from one another. We hope to gain insights into Nigeria’s innovations in voter registration, electoral technology, civic education, and stakeholder engagement, while also sharing the challenges we face, particularly in addressing electoral violence and misinformation.”
Also speaking, the Executive Director of the Coalition of Ethiopian Civil Society Organisations for Elections (CECOE), Mr. Abera Hailemariam, commended INEC’s robust engagement with civil society and stressed the vital role such partnerships play in promoting voter education and electoral transparency.
“We value this collaboration and look forward to deepening cooperation between NEBE and INEC, with the support of our development partners,” Mr. Hailemariam said. “We are particularly interested in understanding how Nigeria implements voter education across its diverse linguistic and cultural landscape.”
The exchange visit, organised under a strategic knowledge-sharing framework, is expected to enhance technical collaboration and mutual understanding between both institutions while fostering best practices in electoral management across Africa.
Following group photographs, the INEC leadership and the Ethiopian delegation proceeded to a closed-door session to begin the first of the nine technical discussions. The meeting was attended by INEC National Commissioners, the Secretary to the Commission, Technical Aides to the INEC Chairman, and other senior officials.
