PresidentSenegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye has been elected Chairman of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), succeeding Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio at the bloc’s 69th Ordinary Session in Lungi, Sierra Leone.
Faye’s election places him at the helm of the 15-member regional bloc for the next year, during a period marked by political transitions, security challenges and renewed efforts to strengthen regional economic integration.
In another development for Senegal, General Birame Diop, the country’s former Minister of the Armed Forces, was elected President of the ECOWAS Commission for the 2026–2030 term — the first time Senegal has held the commission’s top executive position since ECOWAS was established in 1975. Diop succeeds Gambian diplomat Omar Touray, who has led the commission since 2022.
Faye described the appointment as a responsibility carrying the confidence of fellow West African leaders. “It is with humility that I welcome the trust placed in our country, called to the presiding presidency of ECOWAS,” he said, thanking his peers for “the spirit of fraternity that presided over our work” and pledging full support to Diop.
According to the Senegalese Presidency, Faye’s leadership will prioritise collective security, economic sovereignty and renewed commitment to ECOWAS’s founding ideals. The 46-year-old leader also pledged to work with member states to build “a reconciled and united” West Africa.
Founded in 1975, ECOWAS remains West Africa’s principal regional economic and political organisation, promoting integration, democratic governance, and peace and security among member states
