Lagos — The Chairman of Electoral Commission of Ghana (ECG), Dr. Kwadwo Afari-Gyan has identified the insulation of the commission from external meddlesomeness through its direct funding from first-line charge and the assemblage of knowledgeable and dedicated staff as the greatest secrets behind the ECG's feat in conducting successive free and fair elections in the English-speaking West African country.

Afari-Gyan granted THISDAY an exclusive interview on Wednesday at his office in Accra shortly after declaring the official result of the Ghana presidential election. Asked what was his secret in conducting four successful general elections in a row that have been hailed as transparent and credible, he attributed it to true independence of his team which he described as good and supportive.

He said: "There is no secret actually. You must have a good team. It is not a matter of one person doing the work. I have very good and supportive commission members, very knowledgeable and dedicated. We also have very dedicated and very knowledgeable staff."

Another factor which he identified as critical to the success of his commission is commitment. He stated that for any team to succeed in successfully accomplishing the onerous and sensitive task of conducting elections, "you must be committed to doing the work in the way that it is supposed to be done by the law and the principles governing the elections."

Concerning how the commission under him has been coping with pressures which incumbent governments might presumably be exerting on him and the commission, he responded: "Well, you see, in our commission, we are very fortunate. We are insulated in law against all kinds of pressures from external persons and agencies. So we do work independently and according to our best judgment. That is all."

Continuing, he said the ECG was not experiencing any form of arm-twisting or coercion in the area of funding stressing that "in terms of funding our expenditures are charged directly on the consolidated fund. So once the budget is done and the Parliament approves it and nobody can stop us from using the money in the budget."

On how he and his commissioners cope with the antics of politicians, like attempts to induce them and so on, Afari-Gyan said they ward off such tactics by always playing by the rules. He said, "if you want to play by the rules, then you will not entertain any such untoward action from the politicians."

Afari-Gyan has been chairman of ECG for over 15 years having been appointed in 1993. Before then he had served as the deputy chairman in charge of operations of the Interim National Electoral Commission (INEC) the previous year during the 1992 general elections. Since then he had conducted five general elections in Ghana in 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004 and the yet to be concluded 2008 polls.

Before his current national assignment, he lectured in a number of universities in Ghana, Nigeria and America for nearly twenty years. Since becoming Ghana's chief electoral officer in 1993, Afari-Gyan has travelled to many countries around the world on behalf of various organizations to offer technical advice, undertake technical assessment, observe elections or participate in seminars and workshops on electoral issues. He is the author of several publications including four books on political, constitutional and electoral issues.

Afari-Gyan holds a BA degree in Philosophy and MA in African Politics from the University of Ghana, Legon. His academic pursuits are capped with a PhD in Political Science from the University of California at Santa Barbara.

The ECG boss has either observed elections or attended conferences and workshops on electoral matters in various countries including Cambodia, Nigeria, South Africa, Namibia, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Solomon Islands, Benin Republic, The Gambia, Namibia, USA, Cameroun, Uganda, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Lesotho,, Liberia, Botswana, Canada, Senegal, Tanzania, Rhode Island, Mauritius, Sierra Leone, Malawi, Burkina-Faso, Ethiopia, Fiji Islands, Rwanda and Britain.

With particular reference to Nigeria, the Ghana electoral chief was a resource person at the Commonwealth Orientation Seminar for Electoral Commissioners which took place in Abuja in October, 1998. he was also a member of the International Foundation for Election Systems (IFES) pre-election assessment team to Nigeria in November 1998. during the elections proper, he was a leading member of the AAEA/IFES Election Observation Team that monitored the Nigerian local government elections in December 1998 and the presidential election of February 27, 1999.

In 1991, he served on the committee that drafted proposals for Ghana's present constitution. It was after distinguishing himself on the assignment that Ghanaian government appointed him deputy chairman of INEC which conducted the general elections of 1992. In 1993, INEC was re-designated ECG with Afari-Gyan as the pioneer chairman.