As part of its support for strengthening electoral capacity in Nigeria, the European Union, through its Support for Democratic Governance in Nigeria (EU-SDGN) programme, has supported the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the finalisation of digital training modules for election officials.
The initiative, organised by DAI under the EU-SDGN programme in collaboration with INEC and technical partners, is designed to support INEC’s transition from predominantly conventional, face-to-face training to a more accessible and sustainable digital learning approach.
A Technical Working Group (TWG) for VETS Modules Development Finalisation was held in Lagos on August 28, 2026. The meeting focused on completing the remaining three of six modules being developed for the digital training platform, with three modules already completed.
The Virtual Electoral Training System (VETS), domiciled at the Electoral Institute, is intended to give INEC officials access to interactive training content that they can use for continuous learning and capacity development.
Speaking on the initiative, Rudolf Elbling, Team Lead at DAI, said:
The meeting marked another step in the programme’s support to INEC as it works towards completing the full set of digital training modules. With three modules already developed, attention during the technical working group was placed on reviewing and finalising the remaining three.
Beyond developing the modules themselves, the initiative is also focused on strengthening INEC’s internal capacity to independently develop and digitise electoral training content.
Christian Edohor, Team Lead at Philips Consulting Ltd., said the workshop was designed to equip INEC personnel with the skills and confidence needed to transform existing courses into interactive digital learning materials.
“So, the main objective of this workshop is to ensure that all members of INEC are equipped with the needed competency to be able to continuously, on their own, independently digitise courses from scratch to become interactive digital learning courses that will be uploaded into the INEC VETS system that staff of INEC can always access and learn from.”
The approach is expected to help INEC sustain the development and deployment of digital learning content beyond individual training activities. It will also give election officials greater flexibility in accessing training materials at a time and place that works for them.
For INEC, the shift towards digital learning is particularly important given the large number of officials deployed during elections.
Tony Ezomo, Deputy Director, Electoral Training, INEC, said the Commission is seeking to move from traditional person-to-person learning to digital training that can be accessed remotely by election officials and other stakeholders.
“INEC deploys quite a large number of election officials and would want to move from the traditional person-to-person learning methodology to digital learning. So, election officials and ad hoc staff stakeholders can engage INEC in the comfort of their homes or in their convenient spaces. The essence is to ensure the building of capacity of election officials across the board, both permanent and ad hoc staff.”
Ezomo said the digital learning approach would contribute to the efficiency and effectiveness of the Commission as it prepares for the 2027 general election.
“That will help in the efficiency and effectiveness of the Commission as it prepares for the 2027 general election. So, we expect to see an improved service delivery to our stakeholders.”
The development and finalisation of the VETS modules form part of the EU-SDGN programme’s support to INEC and its efforts to strengthen the capacity of election officials through improved training systems.
By supporting the development of interactive digital training content and strengthening INEC personnel’s ability to independently digitise courses, the initiative is helping to lay the foundation for continuous and more flexible electoral learning.
For a Commission that works with a large and diverse pool of permanent and ad hoc officials, the move could make training more accessible, easier to sustain and better suited to the demands of Nigeria’s electoral process.
