Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu emerged the new Chairman of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) at the 63rd Ordinary Session of the Authority of Heads of State and Government on Sunday, July 9, 2023, in Bissau, Guinea-Bissau, being the very first time he ever attended the privileged meeting of West Africa leaders.

A statement by Dele Alake, the Special Adviser (Special Duties, Communications & Strategy), briefly explained how his principal accepted the position on behalf of Nigeria and quoted Tinubu as saying he was humbled by the trust and is determined to tackle terrorism in the West African sub region.

Tinubu said: “On peace and security, the threat has reached an alarming level, and needs urgent actions in addressing the challenges. Indeed, without a peaceful environment, progress and development in the region will continue to remain elusive.

In this regard, we must remain committed to the utilisation of all regional frameworks at our disposal to address the menace of insecurity,” he declared.

According to him, ECOWAS had developed a security architecture, which “covers a wide range of areas that involved kinetic and non-kinetic operations, including preventive diplomacy.

There is also the Regional Plan of Action on Fight against Terrorism 2020-2024 as well as the operationalization of the ECOWAS Standby Force on Fight Against Terrorism.

“I will ensure that we immediately harmonize these plans and mobilize resources as well as the political will towards the actualisation of the initiatives. As terrorists do not respect boundaries, we must work collectively to have an effective regional counterterrorism measure,” the President further stated.

Commenting on his emergence as Chairman on his first participation at the summit, Tinubu said: “Indeed, I’m humbled and honored by this trust, and want to assure you of my unalloyed commitment to provide the necessary leadership with dedication to serve the interest of the community.”

In his welcome address, the out gone ECOWAS Chairman and President of Republic of Guinea-Bissau, Umaro Mokhtar Sissoco Embalo saluted his fellow leaders for sustaining the vision of the organisation, despite the global economic headwinds and trouble spots within the region.

He cited Mali, Burkina Faso and Republic of Guinea as countries where the constitutional order had been distorted while congratulating Nigeria and Sierra Leone for sustaining constitutional order through democratic process.