Project profile — Fostering Peaceful, Credible and Inclusive Elections in Sierra Leone

This project supports the objectives outlined in the Government of Sierra Leone’s National Development Plan 2019-2023. It aims to enhance the institutional capacity of key election management bodies, the judiciary and the police, to implement and oversee the 2022-2023 electoral cycle. It seeks to enhance transparency and inclusion by ensuring that all stakeholders, particularly women, youth, and persons with disabilities, are engaged throughout the process. It also aims to allow them to assess and verify the credibility of electoral processes in an independent manner.

The expected outcomes for this project include: (1) enhanced management of electoral processes by relevant state institutions; (2) enhanced transparency and civic engagement in electoral processes; and (3) improved participation and representation of women, youth and persons with disabilities in electoral processes.

Results achieved at end of the project (May 2025) include: (1) strengthened capacity of the Electoral Commission of Sierra Leone, the Political Party Regulation Commission, the Judiciary, and the Police to enhance the management of the June 2023 Presidential and Parliamentary elections; (2) increased transparency and civic engagement in the electoral processes, leading to an 83% voter turn out for the Presidential election’s polls. This results is achieved through a partnership with Civil Society Organizations. This helped to reach over 2.5 million citizens, engagement of 1800 Locality Electoral Education Committee members in 448 localities in 16 districts, and responsible media engagement, through the i-Verify online fact checking platform. This was done in collaboration with the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists which fact-checked 328 requests helping to combat misinformation and disinformation; (3) improved inclusion through dissemination of elections information to persons with disabilities, engaging over 32,000 youth to sensitize the public and promote peace through the National Youth Commission, and targeting 260 political candidates with gender training and mentoring 90 female political aspirants. The project promoted community level support for women candidates through a He4She campaign which worked closely with traditional and religious leaders; (4) supported the election of 41 women to Parliament which represents 30.4% of all elected candidates and a 17.78% increase from the previous elections. The project also supported the post-Election Review Committee and the set up of a permanent Media and Civic Education Centre within the premises of the Electoral Commission.