Previously this week, through our project in Ethiopia, we supported a workshop dedicated to reflecting on, evaluating and capturing lessons learned from the work of the Media Monitoring Unit (MMU) during Ethiopia's 2026 electoral process. The workshop brought together representatives of the National Election Board of Ethiopia (NEBE), members of the MMU, ECES experts and technical staff to assess the Unit's contribution and identify strategic priorities for the future. The event opened with welcome remarks and an overview of the workshop's objectives delivered jointly by representatives of ECES and NEBE. Amirouche Nedjaa, ECES Media Monitoring Unit Expert, facilitated the workshop sessions together with the Media Monitors and representatives of NEBE's Communication Department.
Established to support NEBE throughout the electoral process, the Media Monitoring Unit played a central role in monitoring traditional, digital and social media, identifying emerging narratives, tracking compliance with electoral regulations, monitoring political party debates, and providing evidence-based analysis to support informed decision-making. Its work also contributed to strengthening transparency, accountability and strategic communication throughout the electoral period.
The workshop provided an opportunity for participants to conduct a comprehensive review of the MMU's mandate, activities and outputs, while assessing the usefulness of its analyses for NEBE's communication and decision-making functions. Discussions highlighted the Unit's achievements and good practices, while also identifying operational, technical and institutional challenges encountered during implementation. Particular attention was given to documenting lessons learned and developing practical recommendations for strengthening media monitoring in future electoral processes.
Through interactive discussions, working groups and a participatory SWOT analysis, participants examined the sustainability of the MMU, explored options for institutionalising its functions, and identified opportunities to strengthen collaboration between ECES, NEBE and the Communication Department. They also developed proposals for post-election media monitoring activities, capacity-building priorities and operational improvements aimed at further enhancing the Unit's effectiveness.
A dedicated session focused on the future of media monitoring through digital innovation and Artificial Intelligence (AI). Participants explored how AI-assisted tools could support social media monitoring, detect election-related narratives, identify hate speech and harmful content, strengthen the detection of disinformation and misinformation, and enhance fact-checking efforts, while also discussing ethical considerations, data protection and the importance of human oversight in AI-enabled monitoring systems.
The workshop concluded with the validation of key recommendations and priority actions for future electoral cycles. Expected outputs include a consolidated assessment of the MMU's performance, a documented lessons learned matrix, actionable recommendations, and a roadmap to strengthen media monitoring, communication functions, the institutionalisation of the MMU, and the integration of advanced digital tools within NEBE.
By fostering institutional learning, innovation and evidence-based decision-making, our project in Ethiopia continues to support NEBE in strengthening resilient, transparent and forward-looking electoral institutions capable of responding to evolving information environments and safeguarding electoral integrity.
