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The Acting Chief Electoral Commissioner (CEC) of the Electoral Commission of Sierra Leone (ECSL), Edmond Sylvester Alpha, has secured capacity support from the Government of India to strengthen preparations for the conduct of Sierra Leone’s 2028 general elections.
The support was confirmed during a bilateral engagement in Delhi on 23rd January 2026, organized and hosted by the Chief Election Commissioner of the Election Commission of India (ECI), Shri Gyanesh Kumar. The engagement focused on cooperation in electoral management and the use of technology to enhance the conduct of elections.
During the meeting, Shri Gyanesh Kumar offered support for ECSL to adapt and utilize India’s ECINET application for the conduct of the 2028 general elections in Sierra Leone. He stated that India is ready and willing to deploy Information and Communication Technology (ICT) experts to Sierra Leone to develop and further improve the ECINET system to suit the country’s electoral context.
The Indian CEC also offered ECSL unrestricted access to the facilities and operations of the Indian International Institute of Democracy and Electoral Management (IIIDEM), described as the world’s largest training institute for democracy and elections.
He noted that the institute has a 90-bed capacity and is equipped with modern facilities to host election management officials and global electoral experts for training in various specialized fields.
Shri Gyanesh Kumar further assured that a team of Indian election experts stands ready to visit Sierra Leone ahead of the 2028 general elections to share best practices in agreed areas of cooperation.
In his response, Mr. Edmond Sylvester Alpha welcomed the offers and recalled that India had previously supported ECSL through the provision of election materials and capacity-building opportunities for ECSL officials. He expressed appreciation for the continued support and reaffirmed ECSL’s commitment to strengthening the existing bilateral relationship between the two electoral management bodies.
The Acting ECSL Chairman also expressed confidence that the cooperation would build on a Memorandum of Understanding currently in draft form between the two institutions, which he said is expected to be signed during future bilateral engagements.
Mr. Alpha was accompanied to Delhi by Esq. Albert Massaquoi, Head of ECSL’s External Relations and Outreach. The engagement notably forms part of ECSL’s broader efforts to enhance international collaboration and institutional capacity as preparations continue toward the 2028 general elections.
