After the launch of the West African Centre for Elections (WACE) facilitated by Goree Institute in January of this year, the Steering Committee decided that capacity building WACE members would be supported through the BRIDGE training course.
Gorée hopes to become a centre of excellence for provision of this specialist training, running regular sessions with BRIDGE accredited facilitators.
BRIDGE is one of the most respected curriculum of full elections training. Its objective is "to outline the principles, skills and challenges of holding elections satisfactorily."
Potential beneficiaries for BRIDGE include: the election commissioners, employees of election management agencies, journalists, political parties, parliamentarians, security forces, the organizations of civil society, academics and students.
BRIDGE uses content developed by experts in the full amount. Its methodology is not prescriptive and it encourages participants to develop creative and appropriate solutions to challenges. It is based on activities and focuses on practical problems. The course is flexible and adaptable. For more information, visit www.bridge-project.org.
September BRIDGE Workshop
As the year 2009 is an election year for West Africa, there are a number of lessons from past elections(Ghana, Mauritania, Guinea Bissau, Niger) and possibilities to better prepare for the elections of the last quarter of 2009 (Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea Conakry).
Indeed, West African Civil Society must have the knowledge and tools necessary to better understand the elections of late 2009, particularly as these represent examples of countries emerging from crisis. Gorée Institute decided to organize the BRIDGE training at this critical crossroads to support civil society to maximise its role in the electoral process.
Based on the success of previous training; this BRIDGE will analyze trends in West Africa in the electoral process, develop professional networks among participants as well as enhance leadership skills of civil society in electoral processes. Topics to be covered include:
- The legal framework of elections in West Africa
- Election Architecture
- Stakeholders in the electoral process
- Civil Society and Electoral Observation
- The sustainability of electoral processes
