Nigerian President Bola Tinubu takes over as ECOWAS chairman

July 9, 2023 Elwin Mandowa

Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu has taken over as the Chairman of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

He was elected chair at the 63rd Ordinary Session of the regional bloc held on Sunday afternoon in Bissau, capital of Guinea-Bissau.

The ECOWAS Chairmanship is a position rotationally held by one of the heads of state or government of the member countries. A chairman holds the tenure for a year.

“We will take democracy seriously, Democracy is very tough but it is the form of government,” Tinubu said after he received handover documents.

He took over from Guinea-Bissau’s President, Umaro Embaló who held the role for the past twelve months.

H.E. Bola Ahmed Tinubu, President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria has been elected as the Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government at the Sixty-Third Ordinary Session of the Authority held on July 09, 2023, in Bissau, Guinea-Bissau. pic.twitter.com/UlxTRC61hZ

— Ecowas – Cedeao (@ecowas_cedeao) July 9, 2023

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At their meeting over the weekend, the West African leaders discussed the security and political situations in the region, among other issues.

Earlier before the summit, the 50th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Mediation and Security Council (MSC) at the Ministerial level took place in Bissau, Guinea-Bissau on July 5, 2023.

The Ministers also discussed the peace and security situation in the region, the ECOWAS Standby Force, ECOWAS Stabilization Missions, humanitarian situations in the region, and update on the status of the Implementation of the National Early Warning Centres, among others.