AHEAD Africa

14/10/2026

🇸🇸 A date is not enough.

South Sudan is scheduled to hold its first-ever elections since gaining independence in 2011 on 22 December 2026.

While 70% of South Sudanese view the upcoming elections as “very important”, significant gaps in electoral laws, voter registration, civic education and institutional capacity raise serious concerns about the country’s readiness to deliver credible, inclusive elections.

The public is ready for change. But are the systems in place to make it happen?

📖 Read the research by the Standard Action Liaison Force (SALF) to find out what remains to be done and what is at stake 🔗https://ahead.africa/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/South-Sudan-2026-_-SALF.pdf

13/10/2026

🖊️ Des observateurs électoraux venus de toute l’Afrique se sont réunis à l’Electoral Integrity Summit 3 pour prendre un engagement commun en faveur d’une plus grande intégrité électorale.

Chaque signature témoigne d’une conviction : des élections crédibles ne se jouent pas uniquement dans les bureaux de vote. Elles reposent aussi sur l’action collective des institutions africaines, des gouvernements, des organes électoraux, des partis politiques, de la société civile, des juridictions, des médias, des entreprises technologiques, des partenaires au développement et des citoyens pour :

🛡️ Protéger l’espace civique et les observateurs électoraux.
💰 Garantir la transparence du financement politique.
🗳️ Renforcer l’indépendance et l’inclusivité des élections.
📱 Protéger l’intégrité de l’information et les droits fondamentaux.
🤝 Renforcer la coopération, la redevabilité et la participation citoyenne.

Ces signatures marquent un engagement commun à transformer les recommandations du Sommet en actions concrètes.

Lire le communiqué final 📄https://ahead.africa/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/EIS-3-final-communique-FR.pdf

07/10/2026

🖊️ Election observers from across Africa put pen to paper at the Electoral Integrity Summit 3, adding their names to a call for stronger and more credible elections.

Each signature reflects a belief that credible elections depend on more than what happens at the ballot box and on the collective efforts of African institutions, governments, election bodies, political parties, civil society, judiciaries, media and technology companies, development partners and citizens to:

🛡️ Protect civic space and election observers.
💰 Ensure transparent political financing.
🗳️ Strengthen independent and inclusive elections.
📱 Protect information integrity and fundamental rights.
🤝 Strengthen cooperation, accountability and citizen participation.

Together, these signatures signal that the work does not end with the Summit, it continues beyond the rooms of conversation.

Read the full final communiqué 📄https://ahead.africa/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/EIS3-final-communique.pdf

06/10/2026

[FR] ROCiDAC, le réseau qui réunit les observateurs électoraux d’Afrique centrale, a été lancé la semaine dernière.

Mais quelle est la suite ?

🏛️ Structurer le réseau et ses instances de gouvernance.
🔄 Partager méthodes, expériences et bonnes pratiques à travers l’Afrique centrale.
💬 Dialoguer avec la CEEAC, les organes de gestion des élections, la société civile, les médias et les autres acteurs régionaux.
🌍 Créer des liens avec d’autres réseaux africains d’observateurs électoraux.
📋 Élaborer des recommandations régionales.

Découvrez les prochaines étapes de ROCiDAC 🌐 https://lnkd.in/ecRuqr5r

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[EN] ROCiDAC, the network bringing together Central African election observers, was launched last week.

But, what comes next?

🏛️ Institutionalise the network and its governance structures.
🔄 Share methods, experience and good practices across Central Africa.
💬 Build dialogue with ECCAS, EMBs, civil society, media and other regional actors.
🌍 Connect with other African observer networks.
📋 Develop regional recommendations.

Get to know ROCiDAC’s next steps 🌐 https://lnkd.in/eAWPy9ka

01/10/2026

Qu’est-ce que ROCiDAC ? 🌍

⚠️ En Afrique centrale, la société civile continue de suivre les élections, de faire entendre ses préoccupations et de demander des comptes aux institutions, malgré les difficultés de gouvernance, la longévité au pouvoir de certains dirigeants et le rétrécissement de l’espace civique.

Dès le début du projet, AHEAD Africa a constaté le manque de visibilité des voix d’Afrique centrale dans les débats électoraux et a travaillé à mettre en relation les acteurs déjà engagés pour la démocratie dans la région.

ROCiDAC a été créé pour permettre aux observateurs électoraux d’Afrique centrale de se connecter et de porter une voix collective. 🤝

Découvrez ses membres et ce que le réseau représente pour eux 👥 https://lnkd.in/ecRuqr5r

30/09/2026

30/09/2026

🇸🇸 South Sudan’s elections are approaching.

From 23 to 24 September, the South Sudan network For Democracy and Elections and the East and Horn of Africa Election Observers Network organised a Country Forum in Juba to discuss the question is becoming harder to ignore: Is the country ready?

With the transitional government dissolved ahead of the scheduled elections, civil society has an important role to play in keeping citizens engaged and connected to the electoral process, as only 55% of the population says they would “definitely participate” in the elections. 🗳️

Read research by the Standard Action Liaison Force on how prepared South Sudan is for the elections 📖 https://lnkd.in/d_TMrRYu

29/09/2026

29/09/2026

What is ROCiDAC? 🌍

⚠️ Across Central Africa, civil society continues to monitor elections, raise concerns and hold institutions accountable despite governance challenges, prolonged presidential leadership and constrained civic space.

From the beginning of the EU co-funded AHEAD Africa project, we recognised the limited visibility of Central African voices in election discourse and worked to connect the actors already driving democratic change in the region.

ROCiDAC was created to give Central African election observers a space to connect and have a collective voice. 🤝

More about its members and what the network means to them 👥 https://lnkd.in/eAWPy9ka

28/09/2026

Day 2 of Electoral Integrity Summit 3 was thought-provoking! 🇬🇭

In Africa, amid expectations that parties provide something in exchange for votes, voter bribery should never be disguised as voter facilitation, Henry Muguzi, ACFIM. Uganda’s 2020 elections, where candidates made ambulances available to the wider public, illustrate the issue, Paul Banoba, Transparency International.

In this context, we can limit the impact of dirty money through regulated public financing for political parties, alongside grassroots financing, Malick Fall, Open Society Foundations. Also enforcing donor disclosure, contribution and spending ceilings, and making data available and empowering citizens to use it. Domesticating UN Resolution 11-7 would be an important step towards holding parties accountable, Edem Senanu, African Union Advisory Board Against Corruption. Ultimately, the problem is rarely the rules, but their enforcement, Marcus Ageng'a, East and Horn of Africa Election Observers Network.

High nomination fees also create barriers for candidates, particularly youth, Nadine Bindey, Soft Power Global. In Nigeria, nomination fees have reached $75,000, contributing to a drop in the share of youth candidates, from 27.1% in 2019 to 16.5% in 2023, Safiya Bichi, Yiaga Africa. At the same time, young people are heavily influenced by what happens online.

AI is a force multiplier for both good and evil, Seray M.O Jah, IFES. In the DRC-Rwanda conflict, AI was used to generate 350 headlines and over 250 fake accounts. Yet 87% of Meta’s disinformation budget is concentrated in the Americas and English-speaking world, Rabiu Alhassan, FactSpace West Africa. The response should not target AI alone, but also equip citizens to question what they see, Nirali Patel, Code For Africa.

The online space is sometimes also patrolled by governments. In Tanzania, more than 100 people reportedly disappeared between 2022 and 2025 over online comments, Robert Majige, Accountability Lab East and Southern Africa - ALESA. In 2025, 12 countries experienced internet shutdowns during elections. For observers, this should not only be a challenge, but something to monitor.

At the same time, technology can give observers new ways to monitor elections. In Zambia’s recent elections, the National Democratic Institute and Chapter One Foundation used OONI to monitor internet openness, Courtney Hess. Also in Zambia, the Christian Churches Monitoring Group - CCMG deployed PPVT to verify election results, Peter Mwanangombe. Other innovative tools shared include the ClarityDesk for election fact-checking in South Sudan by the Excellence Foundation for South Sudan and the Disinformation Detection Platform (DDP) for real-time election disinformation monitoring by Penplusbytes.

The message was clear: electoral integrity requires keeping money, technology and power in check.