President Julius Maada Bio of Sierra Leone has been appointed the new Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, succeeding Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu, whose two-term leadership of the regional bloc has come to an end.
The handover took place at the 67th Ordinary Session of the Authority held in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital.
President Tinubu was initially elected ECOWAS Chair in July 2023 in Guinea-Bissau, and was re-elected for a second term in 2024 to ensure continuity on key regional priorities including security, political reconciliation, and economic development.
Bio’s emergence defied earlier speculation that Senegal’s President Bassirou Diomaye Faye had been chosen during a closed-door meeting ahead of the official session.
In his inaugural address, President Bio outlined four key priorities for his tenure: restoring constitutional order and deepening democracy, revitalising regional security cooperation, advancing economic integration, strengthening institutional credibility within ECOWAS.
The leadership transition comes at a pivotal time for the bloc, which is grappling with a series of political crises, security threats, and economic challenges across West Africa.
