President of Sierra Leone, Julius Maada Bio, has emerged as the new Chairman of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Authority of Heads of State and Government.
He takes over from Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu, whose two-term leadership of the bloc has just ended.
President Tinubu has handed over the mantle of leadership to President Bio at the 67th Ordinary Session of the Authority in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja.
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, had hinted at the leadership change during the closing session of the 94th Ordinary Meeting of the ECOWAS Council of Ministers on Friday night.
“As the agenda of the Summit we endorsed indicated, the election of a new Chair of Authority, this may be my last Council Session as the Chair of this Council”, Tuggar said.
President Bio, in his inaugural speech, promised to prioritise four key areas, namely: restoring constitutional order and deepening democracy, revitalising regional security cooperation, unlocking economic integration and building institutional credibility.
President Tinubu was first elected to the position in Guinea-Bissau on July 9, 2023 and he was re-elected a year later in Abuja, following the decision of the leaders to ensure continuity and consistency in meeting targets on security, reconciliation, and development.
