Just in: Senegal’s President Diomaye Faye Emerges New ECOWAS Chairman

Just in: Senegal’s President Diomaye Faye Emerges New ECOWAS Chairman

 

Senegal’s President, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, has been elected as the new Chairman of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), taking over the leadership of the 15-member regional bloc at a critical period marked by rising insecurity, political instability and efforts to strengthen regional integration.

Faye emerged as the new chairman on Sunday during the 69th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government held in Freetown, Sierra Leone, where regional leaders deliberated on pressing political, economic and security issues confronting West Africa.

The Senegalese leader succeeds Sierra Leone’s President, Julius Maada Bio, who assumed the rotating chairmanship in June 2025 after taking over from Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu.

Faye’s election places him at the helm of ECOWAS at a time the regional body is battling terrorism, violent extremism, unconstitutional changes of government and the diplomatic fallout from the withdrawal of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger from the bloc.

Restoring regional cohesion and advancing economic integration are expected to rank high on his agenda.

The 46-year-old Senegalese president, who came to office in April 2024 on a reformist platform promising transparency, anti-corruption measures and stronger African cooperation, is widely regarded as one of the new generation of leaders shaping the continent’s political landscape.

Established in 1975, ECOWAS remains the principal regional organisation promoting economic integration, free movement, peace, security and democratic governance across West Africa.

The Authority of Heads of State and Government is the bloc’s highest decision-making body, with its chairmanship rotating among member states.