Senegal’s President Bassirou Diomaye Faye has been elected chairman of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), succeeding Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio.
The decision was announced at the 69th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government in Freetown on Sunday.
President Bio handed over the bloc’s rotating chairmanship after serving a one-year term marked by efforts to address regional insecurity, deepen economic integration and respond to political crises across West Africa.
President Faye takes over at a challenging time for the 12-member regional bloc, which is grappling with militant violence in parts of the region, democratic setbacks and the departure of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger from ECOWAS.
As chairman, he is expected to lead efforts to strengthen regional cooperation, promote economic integration and advance dialogue on peace, security and constitutional governance across West Africa.
