Nigeria’s INEC Hosts Ethiopian Electoral Board for Insightful Knowledge Exchange

On Monday, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) warmly welcomed a delegation from Ethiopia’s National Election Board (NEBE) alongside representatives from the Coalition of Ethiopian Civil Society Organisations for Elections (CECOE) at its Abuja headquarters.
This collaborative visit, organized with support from the German Agency for International Development (GIZ), forms part of a broader initiative to exchange electoral expertise and fortify democratic frameworks across the African continent.
Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, INEC’s Chairman, described the occasion as a landmark interaction, highlighting that it marked the first time the Commission hosted a combined delegation comprising both an electoral authority and a civil society coalition from another nation.
“Historically, our engagements have been primarily with electoral commissions alone,” Yakubu remarked. “Today, we are honored to receive not only the National Election Board of Ethiopia, led by Deputy Chairman Mr. Tesfaye Niwai, but also CECOE, which unites over 180 civil society organizations.”
He underscored the common democratic values and governance challenges shared by Nigeria and Ethiopia, emphasizing parallels in managing ethnic and religious diversity within federal systems.
“Both Nigeria, situated in West Africa, and Ethiopia, in East Africa, are characterized by rich ethnic and religious plurality, governed through federal structures designed to accommodate this diversity.
“With populations surpassing 220 million in Nigeria and 135 million in Ethiopia, these two nations collectively represent roughly 25% of Africa’s inhabitants,” Yakubu added.
The INEC Chairman further noted that both electoral bodies bear similar constitutional mandates, including overseeing national and regional elections, regulating political parties, supervising campaign financing, delineating constituencies, establishing polling stations, accrediting election observers, and conducting voter education initiatives.
Throughout the week-long program, the Ethiopian delegation will engage in nine specialized sessions aimed at deepening their understanding of Nigeria’s electoral mechanisms.
These sessions will explore areas such as comprehensive election planning, monitoring frameworks, technological integration in inec-1-3m-online-voter-pre-registrations-first-week/” title=”Over 1.3 Million Nigerians Rush to Pre-Register Online in First Week of …'s Voter Registration Drive!”>voter registration, ensuring participation of displaced populations and persons with disabilities (PWDs), candidate nomination procedures, observer accreditation, media relations, and voter education strategies.
To foster inclusive dialogue, civil society actors, media personnel, and members of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) have been invited to join select sessions, promoting knowledge sharing and stakeholder collaboration.
Yakubu also highlighted that the visit coincides with the ongoing voter registration exercise in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), ahead of the Area Council elections scheduled for February 2026, providing the Ethiopian guests with practical exposure to Nigeria’s voter registration operations.
“I encourage you to engage openly with our officials and key stakeholders. This exchange is an opportunity for mutual learning,” he stated.
Expressing gratitude to GIZ for facilitating the visit, Yakubu acknowledged the agency’s vital role in supporting electoral development initiatives across Africa.
This study tour reinforces INEC’s emerging status as a continental leader in electoral management, fostering regional cooperation, peer-to-peer learning, and the strengthening of democratic institutions through shared knowledge and partnerships.