Tinubu to be named next Chairman of ECOWAS

President Bola Tinubu is likely to be named the next chairman of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

GistReel reports that Tinubu is leaving Abuja on Saturday(Today) ahead of the Sunday meeting of the heads of state of the regional political and economic bloc.

According to a report by TheCable, the Nigerian leader is expected to take over from President Umaro Sissoco Embaló of Guinea-Bissau.

The meeting of heads of state and government will take place in Bissau, the capital city of the Republic of Guinea-Bissau.

Recall that the former President of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari held this position in 2018.

Tinubu, who succeeded Buhari as Nigerian president in May 2023, will be making his first international outing on the African continent at the ECOWAS meeting.

He attended the summit for ‘A New Global Financing Pact’ hosted by French President, Emmanuel Macron, in Paris, France, in June.

The summit of the ECOWAS heads of state is expected to address memoranda on pressing sub-regional issues, including a report of the 50th ordinary session of the mediation and security council covering security challenges faced by the member countries, report of the 90th ordinary session of ECOWAS council of ministers on the financial situation of the body, the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), as well as a report on the status of transition in Mali, Burkina Faso and Guinea.

It was formed in 1975 and currently has 15 member states with a combined population of 387 million and nominal GDP of $816 billion.

The member states are: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo.