Senegal's Birame Diop was elected president of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission during the 66th ordinary summit of the authority of heads of state and government held in Freetown, Sierra Leone, on July 19, 2026. The election was confirmed by a communiqué issued at the end of the summit.
Diop, a former Senegalese minister of armed forces, succeeds Nigeria's Omar Touray, who had served as commission president since 2022. The election was part of a broader agenda that included discussions on regional security, economic integration, and the political situation in member states.
The summit also addressed the ongoing challenges in the Sahel region, including the fight against terrorism and the need for enhanced cooperation among member states. Diop's election is seen as a move to strengthen the bloc's leadership amid these challenges.
