Senegal’ Faye elected ECOWAS chair as country secures commission presidency

Bassirou Diomaye Faye, Senegal’s President,  has been elected chairman of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), giving the country leadership of both the regional bloc and its executive commission in a major diplomatic achievement.

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Faye was chosen on Sunday at the 69th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government in Lungi, Sierra Leone. He succeeds Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio and will lead the 15-member regional bloc for the next year.

In a further boost for Senegal, Birame Diop, former minister of the Armed Forces was elected president of the ECOWAS Commission for the 2026 to 2030 term. It is the first time Senegal has secured the commission’s top post since ECOWAS was established in 1975.

Diop takes over from Gambian diplomat Omar Touray, who has served as commission president since 2022.

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As ECOWAS chairman, the 46-year-old Faye will guide the organisation’s political agenda at a time when West Africa continues to grapple with security threats, political instability and efforts to strengthen regional economic integration.

In a statement released by the Senegalese presidency, Faye said he accepted the role with humility and thanked fellow leaders for their confidence in his country.

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“It is with humility that I welcome the trust placed in our country, called to the presiding presidency of ECOWAS,” he 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.”

Faye also congratulated Diop on his election and pledged his support.

“I congratulate General of the Army Birame Diop, elected to the presidency of the Commission, and assure him of my full support,” he said.

According to the Senegalese presidency, Faye’s leadership will focus on strengthening collective security, advancing economic sovereignty and upholding the vision of ECOWAS’s founding fathers.

The Senegalese leader also reaffirmed his commitment to building “a reconciled and united” West Africa, as the regional bloc seeks to restore cohesion following years of political tensions and constitutional crises in parts of the region.