Monday, July 20, 2026 - Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye has been elected Chairman of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)
Faye was elected on Sunday during the 69th Ordinary Session
of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government held in Lungi, Sierra
Leone. He succeeds Sierra Leonean President Julius Maada Bio, who previously
chaired the regional bloc.
In another milestone for Senegal, Birame Diop, the country's
former Minister of the Armed Forces, was elected President of the ECOWAS
Commission for the 2026–2030 term. The appointment marks the first time since
ECOWAS was established in 1975 that a Senegalese national has been elected to
lead the Commission.
Diop succeeds Gambian diplomat Omar Touray, who has served
as President of the ECOWAS Commission since 2022. As Chairman of ECOWAS, Faye
will oversee the affairs of the 15-member regional bloc for a one-year term.
In a statement, the Senegalese presidency said Faye's tenure
would focus on collective security, economic sovereignty and remaining faithful
to the vision of the founding fathers of ECOWAS. "It is with humility that
I welcome the trust placed in our country, called to the presiding presidency
of ECOWAS," Faye said.
"I thank my peers, Heads of State and Government, for
this mark of trust and for the spirit of fraternity that presided over our
work. I congratulate General of the Army Birame Diop, elected to the presidency
of the Commission, and assure him of my full support."
Faye also praised ECOWAS for the confidence reposed in
Senegal and pledged to work towards a more reconciled and united West Africa
during his tenure.
0 Comments