GIMPA To Establish World-Class Election Centre

The Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration, GIMPA is to establish a world-class election centre to collate information on elections in Ghana.

The center will also train officials involved with elections. The Institute which has gained international repute for its world class training programmes says its monitoring of the 2004 elections is part of the process to position itself as a premier election center.

The Deputy Rector at GIMPA Prof. Yaw Agyeman Badu told JoyNews that all the resources needed to establish such a center are in place.

?I think we have the facilities, personnel and the name to do it well into the future. Eventually if you are trying to do any research on any election in Ghana and not just monitoring of results, you can come to GIMPA and all the information will be available,? he says.

He says discussions are on going and several agencies and groups from different countries have been talking with the rector, about sending teams and helping in education.

The institute, according to Prof. Agyeman Badu did not provide any monitors for the elections in Togo but it is sending an observer group to monitor the upcoming elections in Liberia.

He says the institute will soon roll out the first in a series of training programmes targeted at all persons involved in elections.

?We are planning to have short courses for election and management workers, political parties, interested parties and even members of the media in terms of elections, management and election observations. And these will be short courses to educate significant personnel as well as the interested public,? he says.

He explained that the initiative forms part of the institution?s social responsibility to improve democratic governance not just in Ghana but in the West African sub region.