Senegalese President Bassirou Faye has been elected chairman of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
Faye was elected on Sunday at the 69th ordinary session of the ECOWAS authority of heads of state and government held in Lungi, Sierra Leone.
He succeeds Sierra Leonian President Julius Bio.
In another diplomatic win for the French-speaking West African country, Birame Diop, former minister of the armed forces, was elected president of the ECOWAS Commission for the 2026-2030 term.
It is the first time Senegal has been elected to preside over the commission since the bloc was created in 1975.
Diop succeeds Omar Touray, Gambian diplomat, who held the position since 2022.
As ECOWAS chairman, Faye, 46, will oversee the affairs of the organisation for one year.
The Senegalese presidency said in a statement that collective security, economic sovereignty, and fidelity to the founding fathers would chart the course of Faye’s term.
“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 applauded ECOWAS and pledged to work towards a “reconciled and united” West Africa.
