THE Electoral Commission of Zambia says it is committed to reviewing all its processes and activities in order to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the electoral process.

Speaking during launch of the new ECZ brand promise, Friday, ECZ Chairperson Justice Esau Chulu said the Commission had refreshed its logo and colours to reflect on their strategic direction for the coming years.

In a speech read on his behalf by ECZ vice chairperson Dr Emily Sikazwe, Justice Chulu said the Commission was ushering itself into a new era to rebrand and reposition itself strategically into the future.

“The Commission is ushering itself into a new era to rebrand and reposition ourselves strategically into the future. The Commission’s strategic plan has in the past five years prioritised among other things, strategic focus on the enhancement of the Commission’s corporate image as well as taking the Commission to the people. Today, we have invited you, our key stakeholders in the electoral process to witness this momentous occasion, which will open a new chapter in the Commission’s continued journey of transformation. You may wish to know that the last time the Commission undertook the process of rebranding was in 2007,” Justice Chulu said.

“The logo and brand promise at that time were reviewed from ‘Free and Fair’ to ‘Endorsing Your Choice’. Today, we are proud to announce the launch of the new Electoral Commission of Zambia logo and brand promise, as part of the ongoing evolution of our work. Election management has grown and evolved over the years, and we feel it is time for a review. We have refreshed our logo and colours to reflect our strategic direction for the coming years. After careful consideration, the Commission chose a logo that reflects a modern and futuristic approach, that captures our mandate to deliver credible elections.”

He said the Commission was committed to reviewing all its processes to enhance efficiency and effectiveness of the electoral process

“Additionally, the current strategic plan, which has been in effect for the past five years, expires this year. This presents the Commission with an opportunity to develop a new strategic plan that fits into the new brand direction. Colleagues, after the 12th August 2021 General Elections, the Commission conducted a thorough review of the previous electoral cycle. The review covered activities such as delimitation, registration of voters, nominations
and the polls,” said Justice Chulu.

“Most of you key stakeholders gathered here gave us important feedback during these reviews. Some of your recommendations will form part of the Commission’s next strategic direction. In our quest to continue improving the Zambian electoral process, the Commission is committed to reviewing all its processes and activities in order to enhance efficiency and effectiveness of the electoral process. As we unveil the new brand today, it is the Commission’s hope that you, our stakeholders will continue playing your role in order to enhance the credibility of the Zambian electoral process, as well as the image of the Commission.”

And ECZ Chief Electoral Officer Kryticous Nshindano said the unveiling of the new brand promise was an indication of the commission’s commitment to innovativeness.

“Today is an exciting occasion for the Commission as we have scored another milestone in our transformational agenda. One of the Commission’s core values is innovativeness. Today’s unveiling of our new brand speaks to our commitment to continue innovating our processes in order to remain relevant and appealing in this modern era. Also to bring about efficiency in the electoral process and enhance integrity of that which we do as a commission. Today, we announce the launch of our new corporate brand identity – a redesigned logo and enhanced colours. These changes come at a time when the Commission is evolving its operations and repositioning itself in the world,” he said.

“Last year, we successfully conducted the general election whilst introducing new technologies in our electoral operations. Along with technological advancements in our operations, we are rolling out a new branding effort to reflect our growth, and more importantly, the changes in the digital space. With this, we envisage rapid changes and our brand has been updated to reflect our forward-thinking focus.”

He said ECZ would soon meet stakeholders to also discuss the commencement of a legal reform process.

“Since its establishment, the Commission has successfully carried out its mandate of election management and with this, ECZ has a long history and legacy to protect. We have lined up a number of exciting activities as we begin our new brand journey and this will be engaging you our stakeholders in some of these processes,” said Nshindano.

“Allow me to preempt that we have a meeting for stakeholders next month which is in a couple of weeks time to share with you some of these innovations that are coming forward including the commencement of a legal reform process. It is my firm belief that with this new beginning, yourselves as key stakeholders and the general public will continue to render support to the Commission as you have done in the past to ensure that the Commission executes its mandate successfully.”