DAKAR, July 20 (Xinhua) -- Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye has assumed the chairmanship of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) for a one-year term, according to the Senegalese presidency.
Faye was elected chairman at the 69th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, held on Sunday in Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone, succeeding Sierra Leonean President Julius Maada Bio, who previously held the rotating position.
The one-day summit focused on the future of regional integration, the political and security situation in West Africa, institutional reform, and the financial sustainability of the regional bloc.
According to the Senegalese presidency, Faye described the regional economy as "resilient but still vulnerable" and West Africa as "a region weakened by terrorism," underscoring the need for institutional reform.
He called for the operationalization of the regional counter-terrorism force, greater pooling of resources among member states, stronger financial autonomy for ECOWAS, and enhanced protection for people affected by security crises.
The summit also appointed Birame Diop, Senegal's former minister of the armed forces and former chief of the general staff of the Senegalese armed forces, as president of the ECOWAS Commission for the 2026-2030 term.
Diop will assume office on Sept. 1 at the ECOWAS Commission headquarters in Abuja, Nigeria.
Established in 1975, ECOWAS currently has 12 member states following the formal withdrawal of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger in January 2025. The Authority of Heads of State and Government, comprising the leaders of ECOWAS member states, is the bloc's highest decision-making body. ■