From November 19-23, 2016, the National Democratic Institute (NDI) along with the Government of Cabo Verde co-hosted a conference with political leaders, senior staff members, and legal experts who had taken part in past transfers of executive power pursuant to democratic elections. In addition to international experts, officials from Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Central African Republic, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, and Senegal attended to share experience on practical best practices with respect to political transitions, and worked to develop guidance on legal frameworks to help enhance governance during the transition period and ensure a smooth handover of power.

The conference featured an exchange of experiences among senior experts who have been part of leadership transition teams and processes in the United States and other countries, and discussed issues such as: the legal and regulatory framework; governing executive branch hand-overs of power; the organization of the executive office and the cabinet; the appointments process; approaches to engaging other branches of government on policy priorities such as economic stability and national security; inclusion and diversity in a new administration; and strategic communications, particularly for the first 100 days in office.