On July 19, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) held a summit on the future of regional integration, in conjunction with the 69th ordinary session of the Conference of Heads of State and Government, in Lungi, Sierra Leone.

On this occasion, the heads of state signed the Declaration of Commitment to the Pact for the Future of Regional Integration in West Africa, the Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) on the African Atlantic Gas Pipeline (AAGP) project, as well as the Presidential Declaration on the Promotion of Gender Parity in the Political Representation of Member States, presented as a flagship initiative of the organization’s 50th anniversary.

The leaders also reviewed the 2026 Interim Report on the State of the Community, the report of the 56th Ordinary Session of the Mediation and Security Council at the ministerial level, and the report of the 96th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Council of Ministers.

On the institutional front, Senegal’s President Bassirou Diomaye Faye was elected Chair of the Conference of Heads of State and Government, succeeding Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio.

The Conference also appointed General Birame Diop of Senegal as the next Chairperson of the Community Commission, effective September 1, 2026.

Robert Dussey, Togo’s foreign minister, represented Faure Gnassingbé at the summit.
https://www.republicoftogo.com/toutes-les-rubriques/cedeao/bassirou-diomaye-faye-prend-la-tete-de-la-cedeao