The President of Sierra Leone, Julius Maada Bio, on Sunday, June 22, was chosen as the Chairman of the ECOWAS Heads of State and Government at the 67th Ordinary Session of the Authority held in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja.
Bio takes over from Nigeria’s Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who served two previous terms.
In his inaugural address, the Sierra Leone president pledged commitment to deepening democracy, revitalising regional security, unlocking economic integration, and building institutional credibility.
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“We are still confronting insecurity in the Sahel and coastal states, terrorism, political instability, illicit arms flow and transnational organized crimes continue to test the resilience of our nations and the effectiveness of our institutions,” he said.
The Economic Community of West African States, known as ECOWAS, was founded in 1975 and is facing challenges due to rising violence, member departures, and economic disturbances, the AP said.
One of the failures of the Commission has been its inability to get back Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger back into their fold after their official exit early this year.