Senegal President Diomaye Faye Elected New ECOWAS Chairman

Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye has been elected chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government.

Faye emerged at the bloc’s 69th Ordinary Session in Freetown, Sierra Leone. Vanguard reported that he takes over from Sierra Leonean President Julius Maada Bio, who assumed the chairmanship in June 2025 after President Bola Tinubu’s tenure ended.

Nigeria was represented at the summit by Vice President Kashim Shettima. Channels TV reported that Shettima used the meeting to restate Nigeria’s support for regional integration, democratic governance, peace, security and sustainable development across West Africa.

The handover comes as ECOWAS continues to deal with strained relations with Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, three countries that recently withdrew from the bloc. The new chairman is expected to lead talks on regional cooperation and diplomatic engagement with those countries.

Channels TV also reported that Nigeria backed deeper economic cooperation, wider intra-regional trade, food security, infrastructure links and gradual work on the ECO single currency.

Faye’s election gives Senegal a central role in the bloc at a difficult time for West Africa, with insecurity, military rule and economic pressure still shaping ECOWAS discussions.

Sources: Vanguard, Channels TV