DEPARTMENT OF TRAINING, CAPACITY BUILDING, VOTER EDUCATION AND PROCEDURE

The Training, Capacity Building, Voter Education and Procedures department is responsible for organizing and coordinating all election related operational training. The department is also responsible for ensuring capacity building for all NEC staff and facilitates effective voter education for various electoral processes.  It is also responsible for the development of electoral procedures and the preparation of user friendly manuals.
The department’s key objectives for the year in review was the drive towards professional growth for all NEC staff in related departmental disciplines; continuation of institutional and national capacity building initiatives, especially in the Biometric Voter Registration process; expansion of Voter Education to Electoral Education in a bid to provide a wider understanding of Electoral Administration and Civic Education, and development of procedures on Biometric Registration.

The Procedures unit was reassigned to the department, giving it additional related responsibilities. The department now has two Units namely Training, Capacity Building and Voter Education; and the Procedures Unit.

Key Activities
The department’s successes have been based on the following key activities:

 

Training

• Professional departmental trainings in Financial Management, Electoral Administration and Civic Education (through the Institute of Electoral Administration and Civic Education (INEACE) Certificate training programme for NEC staff);
• Training of Drivers in Advanced Driving Techniques and Ethics; training of Administrative and Office Assistants in Best Practices, Self-Motivation and Ethics;
• NEC and INEACE Districts Facilitators training for  46 NEC Districts and headquarters Staff, representatives  from the National Elections Watch (NEW), All Political Parties  Youth Association (APPYA) and the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ).
• Joint trainings of NEC staff (Headquarters and Districts staff) by FACE Technologies, PCL and NEC training team on the biometric technology, especially on the use of the BVR Kits.

Capacity Building

• Capacity building initiatives at departmental level through support from the Government of Sierra Leone and the UNDP managed donor basket fund;
• Networking with international organizations like SIDA to build staff capacity in Human Rights, Peace and Security; IDEA BRIDGE training for NEC staff in Peace and Conflict Resolution and Voter Registration and contribution to OSIWA’s validation of research document on Electoral Management Bodies in West Africa.
• Participation in international election observation missions in Benin, Niger, Burkina Fasso for informed judgment, best international electoral practices and experience sharing.

Voter Education

• Successful implementation of voter education, sensitization and information campaigns  and engagement with stakeholders like Paramount Chiefs, Civil Society organizations and political parties for a thorough understanding of the BVR process;
• training  workshop for NEC staff and key stakeholders in uniform messaging strategies on the Biometric Voter Registration exercise;
• designing of voter education strategies to include street rallies, use of jingles in 14 ethnic languages of Sierra Leone, comedian productions, performing theatre groups like Artists for Peace, Frandia Entertainment Group, Musical Artists productions, erection of Bill Boards, production of FAQs, Flyers, banners and posters on the Biometric voter Registration process;
• collaboration with other stakeholders, (like the Ward Electoral Education Committees) in providing  voter/electoral education for the electorate in understanding the biometric voter registration process;
• Developed Voter Education manual on the BVR process.

Procedures

•  Drafting procedures on the biometric registration process, in collaboration with the departments of Operations and IT, for the approval of the Commission;
• Designing of Manuals: Trainers, Registration Centre Quick Reference Guide, Exhibition and Distribution of Voter ID Cards Manuals and Aid Memoirs on Roles of Ward Coordinators, BVR Kit Movement Guide and Roles of DEOs and Regional Field Coordination Chiefs on the Registration process.
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