By Fatima Kpaka
Freetown, Sierra Leone – The Chief Electoral Commissioner and Chairman of the Electoral Commission for Sierra Leone (ECSL), Edmond Sylvester Alpha, on Wednesday, 5th August 2026, hosted officials of the West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP), Sierra Leone Chapter, during a courtesy visit at ECSL headquarters.
The WANEP delegation, led by National Coordinator Dominic Boima, congratulated Mr. Alpha on his appointment as Chief Electoral Commissioner and Chairman. They also briefed him on WANEP’s plans to expand its elections situation room initiative to the regional level ahead of the 2028 elections, complementing the existing national monitoring framework.
Mr. Boima presented the WANEP Sierra Leone 2025 Annual Report to the ECSL Chairman and outlined strategies to scale up election monitoring through the early warning systems mechanism.
In response, Commissioner Alpha assured WANEP of ECSL’s commitment to conducting credible elections in Sierra Leone. He thanked the delegation for their support and formally invited WANEP Sierra Leone to present its proposed activities to the ECSL Board of Commissioners and Management at a later date.
Key Takeaways
- Courtesy visit: Strengthening collaboration between ECSL and civil society.
- Regional situation rooms: WANEP plans to decentralize election monitoring for 2028.
- Early warning mechanism: Enhanced monitoring to prevent electoral violence.
- Institutional partnership: ECSL welcomes WANEP’s engagement in electoral processes.
This engagement underscores the growing role of civil society in supporting transparent and peaceful elections in Sierra Leone.