Kwadwo Afari-Gyan

Chairman
Electoral Commission of Ghana
Focus Area(s)
Elections
Critical Tasks
Voter registration
Interviewers
Ashley McCants
Country of Reform
Ghana
Town/City
Accra
Country
Ghana
Date of Interview
Friday, August 15, 2008
Abstract
In this interview, Kwadwo Afari-Gyan explains the role of the Electoral Commission of Ghana in overseeing all public elections and referendums. He discusses the myriad responsibilities of the commission, including educating voters on the importance of participation and registering political parties and voters. He talks about the challenges of administering trustworthy elections in a country where improvements to voter registration, among other processes, are relatively new. He highlights the need for security measures to guard against fraud, and he details the creation of an Inter-Party Advisory Committee as a forum for the political parties to meet with the commission to discuss all aspects of the electoral process. 
 

Full Interview

71 MB
Kwadwo Afari-Gyan - Full Interview
Profile

At the time of this interview, Kwadwo Afari-Gyan was the chairman of the Electoral Commission of Ghana. He was instrumental in overseeing all aspects of the commission's activities, including the formation of the Inter-Party Advisory Committee, a forum for political parties to meet with the commission to discuss changes in electoral rules and procedures. He joined the commission in 1992 as the deputy chairman of elections and took up the chairmanship the following year. Prior to his work with the commission, he was a professor at the University of Ghana, Legon, and before that he taught at Santa Clara University in the U.S.  He graduated from the University of California at Santa Barbara. 

Keywords
ballot papers
codes of conduct
communications
dispute resolution
Election Management Body
election schedules
election security
electoral violence
handling ballot boxes
media relations
staff performance
training
vote counting
voter education
Voter Registration
Not specified