The Coalition of Ethiopian Civil Society Organizations for Elections (CECOE), in partnership with the European Centre for Electoral Support (ECES), launched a two-day Training of Trainers (ToT) Induction Workshop from 10 to 11 November for its Regional Focal Persons (RFPs).
The workshop marks a key milestone in CECOE’s preparations for its comprehensive observation of Ethiopia’s 7th General Election. Designed as the first stage of a cascading capacity-building model, the training brings together 20 Regional Focal Persons from across the country to strengthen their technical, strategic, and ethical readiness for the upcoming mission.
In their opening remarks, CECOE’s leadership emphasized the importance of standardized training and digital integration in election observation. Over the two days, participants receive intensive instruction on CECOE’s Strategic Roadmap, the Global Principles for Non-Partisan Election Observation, and the practical use of the Digital Election Observation Workspace (DEOW) — the central platform that will coordinate and manage field data nationwide.
ECES, which provides financial and technical support to the initiative, underscored the value of building local expertise and consistency in observation standards. The workshop reflects ECES’s continued commitment to strengthening democratic processes in Ethiopia through collaboration with civil society.
The ToT workshop sets the foundation for the next phase, in which trained Regional Focal Persons will lead the recruitment and training of Zonal Coordinators across the regions.
14 November 2025
