Elecam Announces More Electoral Kits

The elections and referenda governing institution in Cameroon, Elections Cameroon (ELECAM), is hastening the necessary processes to enable the hitch-free start of the biometric recompilation of the electoral register announced for September 2012 ending.

The German company, Giesecke and Devrient, that won the contract to furnish the biometric kits and other material for the registration, started off by bringing in the first consignment of 50 electoral kits. These are the ones currently used in training trainers who will in the days ahead train the 2,400 operators who will use the 1,200 kits for the registration of voters. An official of the German technical partner is also training the kits' administrators who will assemble and verify data at the special centres in ELECAM Regional Delegations, before transferring it to the central production site in Yaounde equipped with servers.

Trainers from the English-speaking North West and South West Regions of the country were trained in Bamenda last week. Those of the French-speaking regions are being trained in Mbalmayo. At the start of the Mbalmayo training session on September 10, the Project Manager of Giesecke and Devrient, Andreas Walther announced that additional 200 electoral kits will arrive Cameroon in the days ahead.

He said 950 others will arrive in October. This means that by October ending, all the 1,200 electoral kits needed for the biometric recompilation of the electoral register will be available. It will also be the period for the effective start of the registration exercise. The Deputy Director General of Elections in ELECAM, Erik Essousse while chairing the opening session of the Mbalmayo training session confirmed effective registration to begin by September ending.

Elections Cameroon is reaching the apex in preparation for the hitch-free start of the registration exercise. The Director General of Elections, Mohaman Sani Tanimou is expected to announce the registration calendar in the days ahead. The institution is also injecting new blood into its managing team with the appointment of ELECAM Regional Delegates on September 10.