Safeguarding democracy: why digital transformation of the electoral process is critical

by Titilayo Adewumi, Managing Director at SAP West Africa LAGOS, Nigeria, 31 January 2023 -/African Media Agency(AMA)/- As Africa’s largest democracy gears up for its hotly contested elections, the question of technology’s role in enhancing the voting process is once again in the spotlight. Nigeria goes to the polls in February to elect a new President, House of Representatives, and Senate, as well as new State Assemblies and Governors. More than 84 million of the country’s 211 million citizens are eligible to vote, but mobilising voters and getting them to the polls has proven challenging in recent years. Voter turnout at Nigeria’s elections has declined over the past few election cycles, with only 30-35% of eligible voters turning up to cast their vote at the ballot come election day . In some regions the voter turnout is as low as 8.3%, according to Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission, driven in part by a general lack of young voters making their way to the poll. Among the factors contributing to the low voter turnout are inadequate voter education, ineffective voter mobilisation, and low trust in state institutions. And despite the importance of elections to the broader democratic and nation-building effort, […]

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