About EISA

EISA is a not for profit organisation. It was established in 1996 and is based in Johannesburg (South Africa) with field offices in Kinshasa (DRC), N'Djamena (Chad), Antananarivo (Madagascar), Maputo (Mozambique), and Nairobi (Kenya).

Our vision

An African continent where democratic governance, human rights and citizen participation are upheld in a peaceful environment.

Mission statement

EISA strives for excellence in the promotion of credible elections, citizen participation, and the strengthening of political institutions for sustainable democracy in Africa.

EISA vise l’excellence dans la promotion des élections crédibles, la participation citoyenne et le renforcement des institutions pour une démocratie durable en Afrique

O EISA procura atingir a excelência na promoção de eleições credíveis, participação cívica e fortalecimento das instituições políticas para uma democracia sustentável em África.

Board of directors

EISA is governed by a Board of Directors. It also enjoys the patronage of Sir Ketumile Masire (Botswana).

Executive Director

Mr Denis Kadima took up the position of Executive Director of EISA in December 2002. Before this, he worked for the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI) from January 2001 to November 2002 as the Senior Programme Manager in Windhoek, Namibia and Resident Director in Lesotho. Since joining EISA, Mr Kadima has expanded the organisation's geographic and programmatic scope, which now covers the whole of Africa and encompasses not only elections but also selected areas in the field of democracy and governance. Mr Kadima is currently completing a PhD on political party coalitions in Africa at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. He founded EISA's accredited Journal of African Elections and has published extensively on elections, democracy and governance. Mr Kadima speaks French, English and basic Portuguese.
Email the Executive Director

Programme areas

EISA works in a number of programme areas, including

  • Democracy, conflict management and electoral education
  • Elections and political processes
  • Balloting and electoral services
  • Governance (political partes, APRM, institutions of governance and local governance)
  • Online Democracy Encyclopedia
  • Research and information (including a specialised library and in house publications)

Support services

Program activities are supported by a number of programme officers in special focus areas:

  • Research
  • Library
  • Publications
  • ICTs (Information and Communication Technologies)
  • Finance and Administration