​Senegal Secures Historic Dual Leadership of ECOWAS as President Faye Takes Helm

​In a landmark diplomatic achievement for West Africa, Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye has been elected Chairman of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

​Faye assumed leadership of the 15-member regional bloc during the 69th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, hosted in Freetown, Sierra Leone. He succeeds Sierra Leonean President Julius Maada Bio, taking over the rotating one-year chairmanship at a critical juncture for regional stability and integration.

​A Historic Sweep for Dakar

​The summit also delivered a historic first for Senegal on the executive front. General Birame Diop, Senegal’s former Minister of the Armed Forces and former Chief of General Staff, was elected President of the ECOWAS Commission for the 2026–2030 term.

​This marks the first time since the bloc’s establishment in 1975 that a Senegalese national has secured the commission’s top post. Diop, whose extensive career includes high-ranking military and United Nations advisory roles, will officially assume office on September 1 at the ECOWAS Commission headquarters in Abuja, Nigeria. He succeeds Gambian diplomat Dr. Omar Touray, who has led the executive arm since 2022.

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​Tackling Regional Security and Reforms

​Accepting the mantle of leadership, Faye expressed profound gratitude to his peers for their trust and commitment to regional fraternity. Outlining his vision for the year ahead, the 46-year-old leader painted a realistic picture of a West African economy that remains “resilient but still vulnerable” amid persistent security hurdles, democratic backsliding, and the departure of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger.

​Faye emphasized the urgent need for structural revitalization, calling for:

• ​Operationalizing the regional counter-terrorism force to combat escalating security threats.

• ​Resource pooling and financial autonomy to insulate the bloc from external shocks.
• ​Rebuilding institutional trust and maintaining open diplomatic channels with breakaway member states.

​Representing a younger generation of African leadership, Faye’s incoming tenure—paired with Diop’s operational depth at the commission—is expected to inject fresh momentum into ECOWAS’ reform agenda, steering the community back toward the core integration ideals envisioned by its founding fathers.