The workshop titled “Ghana’s Election 2020: Ensuring Electoral Security in the Context of Covid-19” was opened by the Chargé d´affaires of the Czech Embassy, Mr. Lukas Kindl, and it brought together participants from the Ghana Police Service, Ghana Armed Force, Electoral Commission of Ghana, Political Parties, Ghana Immigration Service, Judicial Service of Ghana, and others.

In his opening speech, Mr. Kindl stated that the pandemic should not make us less vigilant when it comes to security, and highlighted the ongoing Czech activities to support stability and security in Western Africa, particularly in the volatile Sahel, whose stability is essential for the security of the whole region. Among these, he stressed that in June 2020, the Czech Army assumed the command of the EU Training Mission (EUTM) in Mali. Given the broader Czech engagement in the region, it only makes sense for the Czech Republic to partner with the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC), whose role in training military, police and civilian personnel for peacekeeping operations, as well as in delivering courses aimed at securing and consolidating peace and security, is indispensable.

As support to democracy is one of the main pillars of the Czech foreign policy, the Czech Embassy in Accra is proud to cooperate with KAIPTC on the timely workshop on election security, whose goal is to deepen the knowledge and professionalism of participants to identify potential sources of threats to election security. The one-day workshop aimed to enhance the capacities of the participants to plan against, and respond effectively to election-related security challenges; to operate within the bounds of legal frameworks and democratic parameters in handling election security challenges, and to create a platform for sharing ideas and lessoned learnt.