Ethiopian officials, INEC to exchange election management ideas in Abuja

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has welcomed a delegation from the National Election Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) and the Coalition of Ethiopian Civil Society Organisations for Elections (CECOE).

The Ethiopian delegation is on a week-long study visit to Nigeria. The groups will share experiences on election management and democratic governance.

The delegation is led by Tesfaye Niwai, deputy chairman of NEBE, and Abera Hailemariam, executive director of CECOE.

The visit, facilitated by the German Agency for International Development (GIZ), aims to deepen collaboration and exchange best practices between both nations.

During the visit, participants will engage in nine technical sessions covering areas such as strategic election planning, technology use in voter registration, management of candidate nominations, observer and media accreditation, as well as inclusivity in elections.

Speaking at the opening session held on Monday at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja, Mahmood Yakubu, INEC chairman, described the visit as “extraordinary”, noting that it marked the first time Nigeria would host a joint delegation comprising election officials and civil society representatives from Ethiopia.

“In the past, we only interacted with colleagues from the electoral commissions. Today, we are hosting a joint delegation from the National Election Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) and the Coalition of Ethiopian Civil Society Organisations for Elections (CECOE), representing over 180 civil society organisations who are here to understudy the Nigerian electoral process,” he said.

Yakubu highlighted the similarities between Nigeria and Ethiopia, noting that both nations are multi-ethnic, multi-religious, and operate federal systems of government.

“With an estimated population of over 135.5 million people, Ethiopia is the second most populous country in Africa after Nigeria. In fact, our two countries account for a quarter of the entire population of Africa,” he said.

He added that both electoral bodies share similar constitutional responsibilities such as conducting national and regional elections, registering and regulating political parties, monitoring election expenses, and promoting voter education.

“For an extensive experience-sharing engagement of this nature, the commission has invited some civil society organisations, the media, and the inter-party advisory council (IPAC) to join specific technical sessions to exchange ideas with our visitors,” he said.

He noted that the visit coincides with Nigeria’s ongoing voter registration exercise in the federal capital territory (FCT) ahead of the February 2026 area council elections.

“This will provide our visitors the opportunity for a real-life experience of voter registration in Nigeria,” he said.