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Lessons

LESSON

Lesson Learned: Development of Sustainable Voter Registration Methodologies in Sub-Saharan Africa

Hands-on project management and close supervision of activities played a key role. All planned activities were carefully organized by the project management team. All project files seen by the evaluator show that each activity was the object of specific methodological guidance, setting priorities, identifying needs, and determining how to meet these goals.
Project Partner
Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa (EISA)
Project Description
In recent decades, virtually every African country has at some point considered modernizing voter registration technology. New ICT applications have been adopted in many African countries, particularly in post-conflict situations. The project was based on a sound strategy that clearly identified the institutional weaknesses in voter registration models. In selecting partner countries, geographic balance, a variety of political contexts, linguistic diversity, and different levels of technical knowledge were sought. The project’s aim was to generate knowledge and disseminate it among experts and institutional stakeholders. However, the link between knowledge, capacity, and the actual election process, which depends primarily on political will, was not explicitly established in the project design, nor was it incorporated as such in the project strategy. All project activities were successfully implemented and even delivered beyond expectations. The project management team developed a strong organizational and logistical support mechanism to guarantee smooth operation of the database and provided easy and immediate access to it. The project had a number of positive impacts, including ongoing in-depth discussions of voter registration reforms.
Evaluation Date
November 2011
Country
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Development of Sustainable Voter Registration Methodologies in Sub-Saharan Africa

The use of well-qualified project members who stayed involved to the end of the project also contributed to its effectiveness. The mapping and database researcher and case study consultants, as well as the reference panel members, had hands-on experience with voter registration methodologies in different African countries with different languages and election logistics.
Project Partner
Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa (EISA)
Project Description
In recent decades, virtually every African country has at some point considered modernizing voter registration technology. New ICT applications have been adopted in many African countries, particularly in post-conflict situations. The project was based on a sound strategy that clearly identified the institutional weaknesses in voter registration models. In selecting partner countries, geographic balance, a variety of political contexts, linguistic diversity, and different levels of technical knowledge were sought. The project’s aim was to generate knowledge and disseminate it among experts and institutional stakeholders. However, the link between knowledge, capacity, and the actual election process, which depends primarily on political will, was not explicitly established in the project design, nor was it incorporated as such in the project strategy. All project activities were successfully implemented and even delivered beyond expectations. The project management team developed a strong organizational and logistical support mechanism to guarantee smooth operation of the database and provided easy and immediate access to it. The project had a number of positive impacts, including ongoing in-depth discussions of voter registration reforms.
Evaluation Date
November 2011
Country
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Development of Sustainable Voter Registration Methodologies in Sub-Saharan Africa

The incorporation of the specific voter registration findings matrix into other programmes also enhanceds sustainability. For example the BRIDGE programme has a unique curriculum designed to reach all direct and indirect electoral stakeholders, including CSOs, local observers, the media, electoral monitoring groups.
Project Partner
Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa (EISA)
Project Description
In recent decades, virtually every African country has at some point considered modernizing voter registration technology. New ICT applications have been adopted in many African countries, particularly in post-conflict situations. The project was based on a sound strategy that clearly identified the institutional weaknesses in voter registration models. In selecting partner countries, geographic balance, a variety of political contexts, linguistic diversity, and different levels of technical knowledge were sought. The project’s aim was to generate knowledge and disseminate it among experts and institutional stakeholders. However, the link between knowledge, capacity, and the actual election process, which depends primarily on political will, was not explicitly established in the project design, nor was it incorporated as such in the project strategy. All project activities were successfully implemented and even delivered beyond expectations. The project management team developed a strong organizational and logistical support mechanism to guarantee smooth operation of the database and provided easy and immediate access to it. The project had a number of positive impacts, including ongoing in-depth discussions of voter registration reforms.
Evaluation Date
November 2011
Country
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Development of Sustainable Voter Registration Methodologies in Sub-Saharan Africa

However, Electoral Management Bodies were viewed primarily as interviewees and workshop participants, and all activities were implemented by international practitioners. It is hard to see the capacity building here. The original project document and logframe did not include activities to assess or monitor voter registation practices
Project Partner
Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa (EISA)
Project Description
In recent decades, virtually every African country has at some point considered modernizing voter registration technology. New ICT applications have been adopted in many African countries, particularly in post-conflict situations. The project was based on a sound strategy that clearly identified the institutional weaknesses in voter registration models. In selecting partner countries, geographic balance, a variety of political contexts, linguistic diversity, and different levels of technical knowledge were sought. The project’s aim was to generate knowledge and disseminate it among experts and institutional stakeholders. However, the link between knowledge, capacity, and the actual election process, which depends primarily on political will, was not explicitly established in the project design, nor was it incorporated as such in the project strategy. All project activities were successfully implemented and even delivered beyond expectations. The project management team developed a strong organizational and logistical support mechanism to guarantee smooth operation of the database and provided easy and immediate access to it. The project had a number of positive impacts, including ongoing in-depth discussions of voter registration reforms.
Evaluation Date
November 2011
Country
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Development of Sustainable Voter Registration Methodologies in Sub-Saharan Africa

Despite positive aspects of relevance, the ultimate barriers to free and fair elections in Africa and elsewhere are political, not technological. That being said, the logical framework of the project explicitly targeted the elections community, not the actual or potential voters, who, of course, were reasonably considered to be indirect beneficiaries of the project.
Project Partner
Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa (EISA)
Project Description
In recent decades, virtually every African country has at some point considered modernizing voter registration technology. New ICT applications have been adopted in many African countries, particularly in post-conflict situations. The project was based on a sound strategy that clearly identified the institutional weaknesses in voter registration models. In selecting partner countries, geographic balance, a variety of political contexts, linguistic diversity, and different levels of technical knowledge were sought. The project’s aim was to generate knowledge and disseminate it among experts and institutional stakeholders. However, the link between knowledge, capacity, and the actual election process, which depends primarily on political will, was not explicitly established in the project design, nor was it incorporated as such in the project strategy. All project activities were successfully implemented and even delivered beyond expectations. The project management team developed a strong organizational and logistical support mechanism to guarantee smooth operation of the database and provided easy and immediate access to it. The project had a number of positive impacts, including ongoing in-depth discussions of voter registration reforms.
Evaluation Date
November 2011
Country
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Enhancing the Capacity for Inclusive Local Governance through Synergies and Sustainable Linkages between Communities and Government in North Afghanistan

The grantee had offices and active projects in the three target provinces in Afghanistan, and recruited its staff from the region. Drawing on its experience, the grantee began the project with careful and thorough consultations with major stakeholders. This enabled the project to obtain strong local buy-in and support for its activities in all its target districts, as well as in the three provincial capitals.
Project Partner
ACTED
Project Description
Enhancing the Capacity for Inclusive Local Governance in Northern Afghanistan was generally effective as a training project, but its overall design was not well-aligned with the overall objectives specified. The project made a difference for the trainees who benefited from the course provided, but did not contribute much to the institutional results linked to enhancing inclusive local governance. The grantee was a well-known international NGO. This was strength in some ways, but may have been a weakness in others. The project design had a “generic” quality to it, suggesting a lack of attention to the specific needs in the project sites that were addressed. Further, the lack of engagement with the project by ACTED Kabul at a management level, along with the absence of decentralization of decision-making to the local level, undermined project effectiveness.
Evaluation Date
October 2011
Country
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Preparing Iraqi women as leaders, advocates, participants in the political field

Establishing the National Committee for the Political Participation of Women had significant impact, as the project resulted directly in a large number of participants deciding to stand for election at provincial and in some cases federal level in Iraq. Impact on individuals was also clearly demonstrated, as there were examples of women who started their own NGOs, got jobs in political offices, organized campaigns for women’s rights and delivered training to others.
Project Partner
Iraqi Civic Action Network
Project Description
The project aimed to prepare Iraqi women for full and equal participation in the democratic process, by equipping them with knowledge of their rights and by providing a practical set of skills to empower them use this knowledge politically. The grantee worked with existing NGOs that were members the Iraq Civic Action Network. Activities included Training of Trainers for NGO participants; internships for young women who were placed with the NGOs; knowledge-sharing workshops and civic forums organized by the trainees to reach out to a wider public, including decision makers and media; and the reinvigoration of a National Committee for the Political Participation of Iraqi Women.
Evaluation Date
October 2011
Country
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Preparing Iraqi women as leaders, advocates, participants in the political field

The training component of the project was well received and seen as highly relevant by the participants. The training materials, which were of high quality, have a continuing life and are being used both within the NGOs and by individual participants in Iraq.
Project Partner
Iraqi Civic Action Network
Project Description
The project aimed to prepare Iraqi women for full and equal participation in the democratic process, by equipping them with knowledge of their rights and by providing a practical set of skills to empower them use this knowledge politically. The grantee worked with existing NGOs that were members the Iraq Civic Action Network. Activities included Training of Trainers for NGO participants; internships for young women who were placed with the NGOs; knowledge-sharing workshops and civic forums organized by the trainees to reach out to a wider public, including decision makers and media; and the reinvigoration of a National Committee for the Political Participation of Iraqi Women.
Evaluation Date
October 2011
Country
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Preparing Iraqi women as leaders, advocates, participants in the political field

While men were invited to participate in the project’s knowledge-sharing workshops and civic forums. It is important to include men in project activities wherever possible, even when the project’s focus is women’s rights. Men are crucial to building a supportive environment in which women can claim those rights.
Project Partner
Iraqi Civic Action Network
Project Description
The project aimed to prepare Iraqi women for full and equal participation in the democratic process, by equipping them with knowledge of their rights and by providing a practical set of skills to empower them use this knowledge politically. The grantee worked with existing NGOs that were members the Iraq Civic Action Network. Activities included Training of Trainers for NGO participants; internships for young women who were placed with the NGOs; knowledge-sharing workshops and civic forums organized by the trainees to reach out to a wider public, including decision makers and media; and the reinvigoration of a National Committee for the Political Participation of Iraqi Women.
Evaluation Date
October 2011
Country
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Preparing Iraqi women as leaders, advocates, participants in the political field

Both trainers and trainees considered that the training could have had a more practical application for example, if the women participants could have had placements in political offices. Had the project been longer this kind of practical experience would have been possible.
Project Partner
Iraqi Civic Action Network
Project Description
The project aimed to prepare Iraqi women for full and equal participation in the democratic process, by equipping them with knowledge of their rights and by providing a practical set of skills to empower them use this knowledge politically. The grantee worked with existing NGOs that were members the Iraq Civic Action Network. Activities included Training of Trainers for NGO participants; internships for young women who were placed with the NGOs; knowledge-sharing workshops and civic forums organized by the trainees to reach out to a wider public, including decision makers and media; and the reinvigoration of a National Committee for the Political Participation of Iraqi Women.
Evaluation Date
October 2011
Country