The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has elected Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye as the new Chairman of the Authority of Heads of State and Government at the bloc’s 69th Ordinary Session held in Lungi, Sierra Leone.
President Faye succeeds Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio, who formally handed over the leadership of the regional body during the summit held at the Julius Maada Bio International Conference Centre.
The summit brought together Heads of State and Government to discuss the future of regional integration in West Africa, with deliberations focused on strengthening regional cooperation, peace, economic integration and sustainable development.
At the meeting, leaders signed the Declaration of Commitment to the Compact for the Future of Regional Integration in West Africa, the Inter-Governmental Agreement for the African Atlantic Gas Pipeline (AAGP) Project, and the Presidential Declaration on Advancing Gender Parity in Political Representation in ECOWAS Member States.
The gender parity declaration was adopted as one of the legacy initiatives marking the organisation’s 50th anniversary.
The Authority also appointed Senegal’s General Birame Diop as the next President of the ECOWAS Commission. He will assume office on September 1, 2026, following the expiration of the tenure of the current Commission President, Dr Omar Alieu Touray of The Gambia.
The regional leaders reviewed the 2026 Interim Report on the State of the Community, reports from the 56th Ordinary Session of the Mediation and Security Council at the Ministerial Level, and the 96th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Council of Ministers, alongside other policy and governance issues affecting the region.
Ahead of the summit, the Heads of State commissioned the Julius Maada Bio International Conference Centre in Lungi, which hosted the high-level gathering.
The resolutions adopted at the summit reaffirm ECOWAS’ commitment to deepening regional integration, strengthening democratic governance, promoting gender inclusion, and expanding infrastructure and energy cooperation across West Africa.