The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) would soon commence online training and certification programme for prospective ad hoc staff to be used in future elections. INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, said this at the plenary of the four-day sixth Global Electoral Organisation (GEO) conference in Incheon, South Korea.
A statement issued in Abuja on Sunday by Mr Kayode Idowu, the Chief Press Secretary to Jega, said the programme would be conducted by The Electoral Institute (TEI).
The initiative, it added, was to professionalize electoral duties and enhance the integrity of elections in the country.
The statement quoted Jega as saying that those who benefit from the proposed programme would stand a better chance of being recruited as ad hoc staff in future elections.
Jega identified inadequate professional cadre of electoral officials as well as lack of capacity building and professionalization of staff as some of the major challenges facing the commission.
He, however, said INEC had repositioned TEI as an excellent resource centre for research and training of electoral staff in a bid to overcome the challenges
Jega said the centre was not only for INEC staff, but also State Independent Electoral Commissions (SIECs) and other election management bodies in West Africa.
“We are also drawing lessons from other election management bodies, especially in India, Mexico and South Africa.
“We are also establishing or strengthening partnerships with local academic institutions as well as international organisations to leverage existing resources for capacity building and professional development of INEC’s staff,’’ he said.
The statement said more than 400 participants drawn from 90 member-countries and 94 organisations in GEO were attending the conference.
The conference preceded the inaugural assembly of the Association of World Election Bodies (A-WEB). (NAN)
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