Accra, Ghana, December 4, 2020//-Ghana’s Coalition of Domestic Election Observers (CODEO) with support from the USAID, STAR Ghana Foundation, UKAID and EU on 3rd December launched its National Information Centre (NIC) for the December 7th presidential and parliamentary elections.
The NIC which is located inside the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre is the central point for the collation of election results and the tracking of election-related incidents by CODEO, the Electoral Commission (EC), police, and the media.
Speaking at the opening ceremony at the launch, the Acting CODEO Chair, Sheik Armyawo Shaibu, said the CODEO secretariat is working round the clock to ensure that all its over 4,000 observers spread across the country are ready to discharge their duty on December 7.
“Come Monday, December 7, 2020, CODEO will deploy 4,000 Stationary Polling Station Observers, 275 Collation Center Observers and 305 Roaming Observers. Out of the 4000 observers who will be stationed at sampled polling stations in all the 275 constituencies, 1500 will be PVT observers,” he said.
Sheikh Shaibu continued: “In executing our mandate to promote free, fair, credible, inclusive and peaceful elections, CODEO has, since 2008, successfully employed the Parallel Vote Tabulation (PVT) methodology to independently verify the accuracy of the official presidential results declared by the EC.
The observers according to him would submit regular reports that would be analysed and the findings shared with key stakeholders and the general public.
How does the NIC work?
The National Director of the NIC, Dr Kojo Asante in short presentation noted that the objectives of the centre are to coordinate data collection for the PVT; provide a central point for coordinating collaboration with other stakeholders; and tracking of election incidents in any part of the country.
He was quick to add that the centre serves as the central location for communicating and engaging with stakeholders and the general public.
The NIC is made up of the Nerve Centre, Data Analysis and allied desk and Incidents Desk.
The Nerve centre of the NIC according to Dr Asante would perform tasks including data entry, and receive a real-time report from observers, while the Data Entry desk would be supported by the Data Analysis Team, the System Managers and the IT Team.
The NIC Incidents desk he explained includes partnerships with Dubawa, Ghana Fact, Penplusbytes, Facebook and the National Media Commission (NMC).
The team is expected to actively monitor all election-related incidents and relay real-time fact-checking to appropriate authorities, he said.
U.S confident of free and fair election
In a keynote address, the U.S Ambassador to Ghana, Stephanie S. Sullivan lauded Ghana’s leadership under the Fourth Republic for providing a strong example of democracy in the region and across the world.
She is confident that Ghana’s election will be free, fair and peaceful, noting that for any election to be successful all concerned must foster an environment that respects the law and allows for the free and unfettered exercise of individuals’ right to vote.
Ambassador Sullivan used the occasion to encourage the media to engage in their craft safely and responsibly and noted the imperative for institutions of national security and law enforcement to protect a free and responsible media environment which allows the communication of facts on which citizens can make informed decisions.
UK pledges continuous support
The UK High Commissioner to Ghana, Ian Walker in a solidarity message pledged the UK continuous support to Ghana to help propel the socio-economic development of the West African country.
NIC’s Election Day activity line-up
Meanwhile, CODEO Observers assigned to the various constituencies will be present at the polling station by 6:00 am to observe and report on the setting up process before voting begins;
– At noon of December 7, a press conference will be held to inform citizens and stakeholders on the progress of the elections;
– After close of polls at 5 pm, CODEO observers will continue to be present at the various polling stations to observe collation and counting of ballots;
– CODEO will use the information gathered through the PVT methodology to verify the conduct of the tabulation process and the accuracy of the results declared by the EC.
By Masahudu Ankiilu Kunateh, Africana Eye Report
