ECOWAS Mission to Evaluate Gambia's Election Readiness

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has initiated a mission to evaluate the preparedness for the upcoming presidential election in Gambia, set for December 5, 2026. The mission is coordinated by Kwadwo Afari-Gyan, the former chairman of Ghana's Electoral Commission, alongside Babatunde Afolabi, the ECOWAS Director of Political Affairs.

The African Union delegation is led by Samuel Atuobi, while Falmata Liman represents the United Nations Office for West Africa (UNOWA) as a political advisor. The primary objective of this mission is to identify initiatives that ECOWAS, the African Union, and UNOWA can implement to build confidence among stakeholders and support the conduct of free, transparent, and credible elections.

The mission will examine the legal and constitutional frameworks governing Gambia's electoral process and assess the dynamics of political engagement among political actors to identify potential risks and early warning signs that could affect the electoral process. This fact-finding mission is part of ECOWAS's ongoing efforts to promote democratic governance and political stability across the West African region.