On 29 and 30 July, UNDP Elections Project handed over rehabilitated warehouses, generator rooms, and fences to the Magistrate offices of the National Elections Commission (NEC) in Voinjama and Kolahun (Lofa County). Two separate handover ceremonies brought together over 80 representatives of local government, civil society, and community-based organisations, political parties, youth and women groups. The warehouse rehabilitation project has been much appreciated as it enhances the security of the NEC field offices and electoral materials. In some areas, the Project also built wells for the NEC, which is welcomed by the communities.
Overall, 12 out of a total of 20 warehouses and accessories are currently being rehabilitated by the Project, with support from EU, Ireland, Sweden, and Canada. The remaining seven handovers are scheduled before the end of August. UNDP will attempt to rehabilitate the 8 warehouses not covered by this project, including NEC central warehouse, in the next electoral assistance cycle. The works are implemented by the Project as part of the institutional strengthening of the NEC, aiming to ensure secure storage of electoral materials. The warehouse rehabilitation has been implemented hand-in-hand with the Enterprise Resource Planning system to ensure proper cataloging of NEC’s assets to enhance sustainability and decrease costs of the electoral process.
