What CECOE | Coalition of Ethiopian Civil Society Organizations for Elections does

CECOE (Coalition of Ethiopian Civil Society Organizations for Elections) is a non-partisan, non-profit coalition founded in 2019 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, coordinating 176 member civil society organizations to advance democratic electoral processes. Its core programs encompass citizen election observation (deploying 3,000+ trained observers per electoral cycle), civic and voter education through multimedia campaigns, advocacy for electoral reform, and research and capacity building for member CSOs, political parties, and media.

The coalition's technology stack centers on the Digital Election Observation Workspace (DEOW), launched in April 2026 with GIZ support, which automates observer recruitment, checklist and certificate generation, and broadcast communications. It also operates an Election Situation Room using the Apollo platform and SMS technology for real-time observation data collection, alongside a Media Monitoring Unit staffed by human language experts (no AI/NLP disclosed) covering five local languages and English. Voter education reaches audiences through 19 broadcast partners, social media, and a dedicated weekly radio program (Yesua Dimtse) on women's political participation.

CECOE's business model is grant-funded rather than commercial. Revenue streams consist of project-based grants from international development partners (European Union, KFW, German Government/GIZ, IRI, NIMD) and member organization contributions. The organization holds no patents, generates no product revenue, and operates on a coalition governance model with a Board chaired by the Executive Director of CCVEA and an Executive Director (Abera Hailemariam, since September 2020). Key strategic customers/stakeholders include the National Election Board of Ethiopia (NEBE), which accredits CECOE as an official observer, and the international donor consortium that funds its programmatic work.

Name

CECOE | Coalition of Ethiopian Civil Society Organizations for Elections

Legal name

The Coalition of Ethiopian Civil Society Organizations for Elections

Website

https://cecoe.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CECOE is a non-profit coalition of 176 Ethiopian civil society organizations coordinating citizen election observation, voter education, and electoral advocacy. It is funded by international development grants and accredited by Ethiopia's National Election Board.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Election Monitoring and Civic Education Services

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311), Political Organizations (81394), Civic and Social Organizations (81341), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Electoral Support & Election Observation (BPADAGAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Democracy, Voting Rights & Civic Participation Advocacy (BPAGAFAJ), Civil Society Strengthening & Civic Space (BPADAGAD), Civic Education & Community Engagement (Voting, Local Government) (EDAAAFAC)

Keywords

• Election observation services
• Voter education programs
• Civil society coalition
• Electoral monitoring platform
• Civic engagement advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Addis Ababa

HQ country

Ethiopia

HQ region

Africa

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Grants and Donor Funding: CECOE operates as a non-profit civil society coalition primarily funded through grants from international development partners and foreign governments.
2. Project-Based Funding: Implementation of specific projects funded by organizations such as the European Union (EU), German Government/GIZ, Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy (NIMD), and other international partners.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

CECOE coordinates a coalition of 175+ Ethiopian civil society organizations to conduct non-partisan election observation, deliver civic and voter education programs, build capacity of electoral stakeholders, and engage in advocacy for electoral reform. The coalition deploys thousands of trained observers, runs multimedia voter education campaigns, produces research and policy outputs, and operates a digital observation platform (DEOW) to support its mission of promoting free, fair, peaceful, and transparent elections in Ethiopia.

Product overview

CECOE is a coalition of over 175 Ethiopian civil society organizations established in 2019 to support free, fair, peaceful, and transparent elections. The organization operates as a unified program portfolio rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. Its core offerings include: Election Monitoring and Observation (deploying trained observers using the Digital Election Observation Workspace (DEOW) and Election Situation Room for real-time data collection); Civic and Voter Education (through the I-Vote Campaign multimedia initiative and radio programming including Yesua Dimtse); Research and Capacity Building (training manuals, observation checklists, and workshops for member organizations); and Advocacy and Stakeholder Engagement (policy briefs, commentaries, and stakeholder workshops). The Women's Political Participation Program and Media Monitoring Unit provide specialized focus areas. All programs work toward the common mission of upholding democratic values through coordination of Ethiopian CSOs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Election Monitoring and Observation Non-partisan citizen election observation program that recruits, trains, and deploys observers across Ethiopia to monitor electoral processes, gather real-time data, and produce comprehensive observation reports for the National Election Board of Ethiopia (NEBE) and the public.
• Civic and Voter Education Educational programs providing Ethiopian citizens with knowledge about voting procedures, registration, and electoral system mechanics through diverse media channels including TV, radio, social media, and printed materials.
• Research and Capacity Building

Quantifiable outcome

• 40M+ citizens reached through voter education and information programs
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• National Election Board of Ethiopia (NEBE)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019NEBE is the primary government partner that accredits CECOE as an official election observer. CECOE was the first CSO invited by NEBE to observe the Sidama referendum, establishing a formal relationship for ongoing election observation activities.
• Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy (NIMD)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNIMD collaborates with CECOE on the Yesua Dimtse radio program and women's political participation projects. The partnership focuses on enhancing democratic governance through civic education and political inclusion programs.
• ECES (European Center for Electoral Support)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerECES partners with CECOE on the I Vote campaign and provides sub-grants to 12 member organizations for voter education initiatives. Joint implementation of electoral support programs.
• National Democratic Institute (NDI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNDI collaborates on research and advocacy efforts, providing technical assistance for peacebuilding and conflict mitigation manual development. Ethiopian CSO delegation visited Nigeria under NDI coordination.
• Zeleman CommunicationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerZeleman Communications is a media partner implementing the I Vote campaign's multimedia voter education content.
• African UnionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCECOE's observation reports are referenced in African Union Election Observation Mission reports, acknowledging the coalition's role in civil society election monitoring.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• International Republican Institute (IRI): U.S.-based democracy-support nonprofit that funds CECOE's I-Vote digital voter education campaign. IRI co-authored the 2021 Joint Election Report with NDI referencing CECOE's observation work, making it a direct funding peer in the citizen election observation space.
• National Democratic Institute (NDI): U.S.-based nonprofit supporting democratic governance globally. NDI directly partners with CECOE on research and advocacy and has collaborated on Ethiopia elections observation (IRI-NDI Joint 2021 Elections Report), making it both a funder/peer and the most established international election-support organization working in Ethiopia.
• The Carter Center: U.S.-based nonprofit running long-running election observation missions, including in Africa. Carter Center is a comparable international election observation peer with overlapping methodology around citizen observer deployment and election reporting.
• GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit): German development agency funding CECOE's civic education project under the S2GG programme and supporting development of the DEOW platform. GIZ is both a funder and a broad implementing peer in civic engagement programming in Ethiopia.
• International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES): Global democracy and election support NGO operating across Africa. IFES is a comparable broad incumbent in citizen election observation, voter education, and electoral management body support — directly adjacent to CECOE's service portfolio.

Direct peers

• Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy (NIMD): The Hague-based democracy support organization co-implementing CECOE's Women Political Participation project and the Yesua Dimtse radio program. Direct programmatic peer in inclusive political participation and civic education.
• Consortium of Civic and Voters Education Actors (CCVEA): Ethiopian consortium of CSOs focused on civic and voter education. CCVEA is led by CECOE's Board Chairperson and operates as a direct local peer in civic and voter education programming across Ethiopia.
• European Centre for Electoral Support (ECES): Brussels-based organization implementing electoral support programs. ECES is a direct strategic partner of CECOE on the I Vote campaign and channels sub-grants to 12 of CECOE's member organizations for voter education — making it the closest international implementation peer.

Regional players

• Network of Ethiopian Women's Associations (NEWA): Ethiopian umbrella network of women-focused CSOs. NEWA's Executive Director sits on CECOE's Board, making it a closely affiliated peer in women's political participation programming — directly aligned with CECOE's Yesua Dimtse and gender-focused work.
• Consortium of Ethiopian Human Rights Organizations (CEHRO): Coalition of Ethiopian human rights organizations whose Executive Director serves on CECOE's Board. CEHRO is a domestic peer in civil society advocacy and human rights, with overlapping member networks and governance.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cecoeeth
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@cecoe2688
• Facebookfacebook.com/CecoeEth
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cecoe-coalition-of-ethiopian-civil-society-organizations-for-election

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about CECOE | Coalition of Ethiopian Civil Society Organizations for Elections