Tinubu Hands Over ECOWAS Chairmanship To Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio

President Bola Tinubu of Nigeria officially handed over the chairmanship of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Authority of Heads of State and Government to President Julius Maada Bio of Sierra Leone on June 22, 2025, at the 67th Ordinary Session held in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital.

Tinubu concluded his two-year tenure, which began in July 2023, by symbolically transferring the ECOWAS chair emblem to President Bio. He described his leadership as a profound honor and expressed optimism about the future of West Africa, emphasizing the importance of peace, security, stability, and prosperity in the region. He also highlighted the need to activate the ECOWAS Standby Force promptly to combat terrorism and transnational crime.

During his tenure, Tinubu focused on addressing complex political and security challenges, promoting economic integration, and preserving democratic values. He called for deeper cooperation among member states, empowering the private sector, and advancing key regional infrastructure projects such as the West African Gas Pipeline, West African Power Pool, and Abidjan–Lagos Corridor Highway to stimulate development and integration.

President Bio, in his acceptance speech, outlined four key priorities for his chairmanship: restoring constitutional order and deepening democracy, revitalizing regional security cooperation, unlocking economic integration, and building institutional credibility.
He pledged to engage transitional governments constructively, enhance security architecture including intelligence sharing and rapid response capabilities, and reform ECOWAS to be more transparent, efficient, and responsive to its citizens, especially youth and women.

Bio acknowledged the current challenges facing West Africa, including terrorism, illicit arms flow, political instability, and transnational crime, particularly in the Sahel and coastal states. He emphasized the need for unity and moral clarity to ensure the region’s future is one of possibility and progress rather than decline.

The transition marks a pivotal moment for ECOWAS as it seeks to strengthen regional cooperation amid ongoing security and economic challenges, with President Bio building on the foundation laid by Tinubu to advance peace, stability, and integration in West Africa.