By Fatima Kpaka
ABUJA — Sierra Leone’s President, H.E. Julius Maada Bio, has been elected Chairman of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), following the conclusion of the 67th Ordinary Session held on June 22, 2025, in Abuja, Nigeria.
President Bio succeeds Nigerian President H.E. Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who chaired the regional bloc during a crucial period marked by growing security challenges and economic recovery efforts.
The summit brought together West African leaders to assess key regional issues, including political stability, security threats, economic integration, and institutional progress. Delegates also reviewed the outcome of the 94th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Council of Ministers.
In his opening address, President Tinubu lauded the achievements of ECOWAS over the past 50 years and urged member states to adopt a more united approach in tackling violent extremism, terrorism, and cross-border crimes. “No single nation can address these challenges alone,” he stressed, calling for increased coordination and political will.
ECOWAS Commission President H.E. Dr. Omar Alieu Touray highlighted ongoing diplomatic engagements with the three member states—Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger—that recently withdrew from the bloc. He reaffirmed ECOWAS’s status as Africa’s most advanced regional economic community and called for renewed support to strengthen the private sector.
Representatives from the African Union and the United Nations, including H.E. Leonardo Santos Simão of UNOWAS and Ambassador Bankole Adeoye of the AU Commission, reiterated their organizations’ commitment to peace, security, and inclusive development in West Africa.
President Bio’s election was met with warm congratulations from fellow leaders as he assumes the one-year mandate to steer ECOWAS through ongoing transitions. A final communiqué outlining the summit’s resolutions is expected to be issued by the ECOWAS Commission.
The session also marked the 50th anniversary of ECOWAS, founded in 1975 to foster economic integration and cooperation across the region.