Senegal’s President Faye Set to Succeed Tinubu as ECOWAS Chairman
President Bassirou Diomaye Faye of Senegal is set to become the new Chairman of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), succeeding Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, whose tenure is coming to an end.
According to reports from Punch Newspaper, regional leaders have reached a consensus to elect President Faye as the next Chairman of the Authority of ECOWAS Heads of State and Government. While the decision has not been formally announced, multiple sources confirm that the transition is already in motion.
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President Tinubu is currently hosting the 67th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Authority at the State House Conference Centre in Abuja, where 11 other West African leaders are in attendance.
The summit, which began at 5:05 p.m. on Sunday, is expected to be Tinubu’s final official engagement as ECOWAS Chairman.
Tinubu first assumed the chairmanship on July 9, 2023, in Guinea-Bissau, and was re-elected for a second one-year term on July 7, 2024, in Abuja. His tenure has been marked by a period of significant political and security challenges in the West African region, including coups, democratic transitions, and rising economic pressures.
Speaking during the closing of the 94th Ordinary Meeting of the ECOWAS Council of Ministers on Friday night, Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, alluded to the leadership handover. “As the agenda of the Summit we endorsed indicated, the election of a new Chair of Authority, this may be my last Council Session as the Chair of this Council,” he stated.
Though ECOWAS has yet to release an official statement confirming Faye’s election, the expected announcement is likely to be made during the ongoing summit or shortly thereafter.
President Faye, who took office in Senegal earlier this year, has been regarded as a fresh face in regional politics and is expected to bring new energy and direction to ECOWAS leadership.
