Former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo will lead the African Union (AU) Election Observation Mission to the Democratic Republic of Congo ahead of the country’s upcoming elections.
The AU appointed the former Ghanaian leader as head of the mission as part of its efforts to promote transparent and credible elections across the continent. Election observer missions help assess whether polls meet accepted democratic standards.
The AU Commission communicated the appointment in a formal letter inviting Akufo-Addo to head the continental body’s delegation.
The team will include representatives from the AU Permanent Representatives Committee, the Pan-African Parliament, election management bodies, civil society organizations and independent electoral experts. Youth and women’s representatives will also take part in the mission.
The observer team will monitor several stages of the electoral process. These include preparations before the election, voting procedures on election day and developments immediately after the polls. Members of the delegation will also engage electoral authorities, political parties and civil society organizations during the mission. Akufo-Addo served as President of Ghana from January 2017 to January 2025. Since leaving office, he has remained active in international governance and democracy initiatives. The AU often appoints experienced former African leaders to head election observation missions.
At the end of the exercise, the delegation will issue a preliminary statement outlining its observations. The AU will later publish a detailed report with recommendations on the conduct of the elections.
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