The African Union (AU) Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, Bankolé Adeoye, presented an award to the Moroccan Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nasser Bourita, in recognition of Morocco’s exceptional leadership and unwavering commitment to democratic governance, peace, and security in Africa.
This distinction was presented to Bourita on the opening of the 5th Training Cycle for African Election Observers of the African Union (AU), a flagship program recognized across Africa, which celebrates half a decade of strategic partnership between Morocco and the African Union’s Department of Political Affairs, Peace and Security.
Furthermore, the award illustrates the relevance of the Moroccan approach, founded on a solidarity-based, pragmatic, and results-oriented South-South cooperation, as well as the continental recognition of the Kingdom’s active role in promoting stability and good governance in Africa, in accordance with the enlightened Vision of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God assist Him.
For half a decade, Morocco has been contributing to the training of election observers in Africa. Within this framework, nearly 400 people, including men, women, youth, and persons with disabilities, from 53 African countries representing the five regions of the continent, have been trained in Rabat since 2022.
At a press briefing on the sidelines of the AU Training Cycle, Bankole Adeoye pointed out that Morocco, under the leadership of King Mohammed VI, has paved the way for African countries towards building a solid continental democracy founded on transparent elections.
He indicated that over the past five years, Morocco has shown the way forward to promote optimal democracy on the continent, insisting on the importance of holding transparent, credible elections that are aligned with the AU’s Agenda 2063.
The AU plans to deploy specialized training missions covering the observation of pre-electoral, electoral, and post-electoral phases in several countries across the continent, he noted. He added that this program, which brings together 87 potential election observers from various African states, is part of a continental dynamic aimed at strengthening the credibility and transparency of electoral processes.
With this in mind, Adeoye stated that the AU is constantly working to improve this program through the co-creation of an African Elections Observatory, bringing together experts trained in the field.
It also involves, he pointed out, the establishment of an African democracy index capable of providing credible data to the media and digital platforms in this area, while also making it possible to better anticipate the challenges linked to new technologies and AI.
He also mentioned an upcoming collaboration between the AU and the Policy Center for the New South (Morocco) to examine the challenges of the digitalization of democracy, AI, and new technologies, in addition to strengthening youth participation in political life.
The AU official, who had discussed with Bourita the promotion of peace, stability, and democracy on the continent, reiterated the Union’s constant commitment to peace and democracy on the continent, and highlighted the role of youth, women, and civil society as “defenders of democracy.”
