emod.adafp.org
Established 2026 · Pan-African

Electoral Integrity Democratic Accountability

Election Monitoring & Observation Department

« Defending African democracy through rigorous, impartial election observation and civic technology. »

Contact EMOD
51 Member Organisations
27 African Countries
2 Core Units
4 Languages
Leadership

Dr. Francis Gabriel Oke

Dr. Francis Gabriel Oke
Dr. Francis Gabriel Oke
Director, Election Monitoring & Observation Department

With over 30 years of experience in international relations, diplomacy, and electoral assistance, Dr. Oke brings unparalleled expertise to EMOD's leadership. Recognized as one of Africa's foremost election integrity specialists.

Key Positions

  • Senior Advisor for Africa, European Centre for Electoral Support (ECES)
  • Permanent Representative of ECOWAS to the African Union
  • Permanent Secretary, RESAO/ECONEC
  • Head of Electoral Assistance Programme, ECOWAS

Education

  • LL.B in Law, National University of Benin
  • Master's in Human Rights, Lyon Institute
  • PhD Candidate, Centre for Diplomatic and Strategic Studies, Paris
  • Certified BRIDGE Facilitator for Electoral Governance
Vision

Continental Election Observation

Our Mission

The ADAFP Election Monitoring and Observation Department (EMOD) strengthens democratic processes across Africa through rigorous, impartial electoral observation, credible integrity assessments, and evidence-based capacity building under Dr. Oke's leadership.

Why ADAFP?

A continental alliance of democratic forces with local roots, trusted by all sides because of our commitment to impartiality, rigour, and transparency.

Structure

Our Department

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Elections Monitoring

Observation & Integrity

Deploys accredited observer missions. Standardised checklists, random samples drawn before election day, parallel vote tabulation. Preliminary, interim and final reports.

📚

Elections Studies

In cooperation with the ADAFP Think Tank

Study visits and delegation missions, distinct from accredited observation. Comparative research on electoral systems and legal frameworks. Methodology and the Electoral Integrity Index, with the Think Tank.

⚙️

Technology

In cooperation with the ADAFP AI Laboratory

Builds and maintains the three election systems and provides technical assistance to member organisations, keeping the three deliberately separate.

Core Functions Across the Three Divisions

Elections Monitoring

A. Electoral Observation Missions

Trained observers deployed at national and sub-national elections (15–20 per mission). Long-term presence (6–8 weeks pre-election), preliminary statements within 24 hours, final reports within 4 weeks.

Elections Studies

B. Electoral Integrity Assessment

Pre-election assessments of legal framework, institutional capacity, political environment. Post-election analysis to identify vulnerabilities. Annual publication of the Electoral Integrity Index—continent-wide benchmark.

Elections Studies

C. Capacity Building & Training

Structured observer training (3–5 days): law, methodology, impartiality, safety, reporting. Workshops for election officials, civil society, party agents, media. Ongoing network with refresher training and continental knowledge-sharing seminars.

Elections Studies

D. Policy Advocacy

Strategic engagement with African Union, ECOWAS, EAC. Formal submissions to AU Electoral Governance mechanism. Regional network participation and advisory roles. Policy briefs on electoral risks and best practices. Coordination with member parties on electoral standards advocacy.

Technology

E. Election Technology

Builds and maintains the three election systems, in cooperation with the ADAFP AI Laboratory. The three share no data and no branding, so that observation findings remain independent of the parties contesting an election.

Calendar

Upcoming Election Observation Missions

23 September 2026
Morocco
General Elections

Delegation visit around the legislative elections of 23 September, hosted in Morocco by YALDA. Meetings with Moroccan parties and senior political figures, constituency and candidate visits during the campaign, and following election day. A study visit, not an accredited observation mission.

Study Mission
4 November 2026
South Africa
Local Elections

Full observer mission deployment across all provinces. Comprehensive observation, real-time reporting, and detailed electoral integrity assessment. Coordination with ADAFP member parties and civil society.

Full Observer Mission
15 November 2026
Cabo Verde
Presidential Election

Study mission to presidential election. Focused assessment of electoral system and political environment. Long-term observer presence (6–8 weeks pre-election) through polling day.

Study Mission
Technology

Election Technology

ADAFP operates three separate election systems, developed by the ADAFP AI Laboratory. They are deliberately kept apart: they share no data, no branding and no infrastructure.

Observer Platform
For accredited observers

Standardised checklists for each phase of the poll. Random samples drawn before election day and recorded so they can be verified. Parallel vote tabulation with a stated margin of error. Every observer signs a declaration of impartiality.

EMOD
Party Agent Toolkit
For member parties

Free software allowing a member party to track its own polling agents and record the result posted at each station. Works offline. A partisan instrument belonging to the party that uses it — not observation.

Member parties
Public Incident Reporting
For citizens

A channel for citizens to report what they witnessed, shown on a map. Every report is reviewed by a person before it appears. Accounts given by the public, not verified findings — never combined with accredited observation.

Public
September 2026

Morocco Electoral Study Visit

EMOD is organising a senior international delegation to Morocco from 20 to 25 September 2026, around the legislative elections of 23 September.

Hon. Marietou Dieng
Hon. Marietou Dieng
Co-Chair of Mission

Former Member of Parliament. Vice-President of the African Liberal Parliamentary Alliance (ALPA) and President of OPECC.

Dr. Francis Gabriel Oke
Dr. Francis Gabriel Oke
Co-Chair of Mission

Director of the Election Monitoring and Observation Department, ADAFP.

The visit is hosted in Morocco by YALDA, a non-partisan youth organisation. Partner delegations from Liberal International, the European Democratic Party and Volt Europa have been invited to join. This is a study visit and a political dialogue, not an accredited observation mission.

Strategy

Implementation Roadmap

Months 1-3

Phase 1: Foundation & Setup

Organisational structure finalised under Dr. Oke's leadership, core team recruitment (6–8 staff), protocols established for training and deployment, coordination mechanisms with AU and regional bodies. Budget: USD 150,000.

Months 4-9

Phase 2: Operational Launch

Deployment of first observer missions (2–3 countries, 20–30 observers), capacity-building workshops, Electoral Environment Assessment publication, Democracy Monitor portal launch. Budget: USD 280,000.

Year 2

Phase 3: Consolidation

Observer network expansion to 40+ trained observers, Continental Electoral Integrity Report publication, African Union policy engagement. Budget: USD 350,000.

Year 3+

Phase 4: Scale & Influence

ADAFP Pan-African Electoral Integrity Index as continental benchmark, knowledge-sharing platform, policy advocacy, African Union accreditation exploration. Budget: USD 500,000+.

Engagement

Get Involved

ADAFP EMOD is seeking partnerships with African governments, civil society, universities, and democratic actors. Whether as observer partner, academic collaborator, or funder—we want to hear from you.

Contact the ADAFP Election Monitoring Department:

Email: office@adafp.org
Director: Dr. Francis Gabriel Oke
Headquarters: Benin, West Africa
Address: ADAFP Headquarters, Pan-African Centre for Democracy, Rabat, Morocco