President of Guinea-Bissau, Umaro Sissoco Embalo, has been unanimously chosen to lead the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo of Ghana, who has led the nation for two terms starting in 2020, will be replaced by him.
Embalo will have to deal with the challenging political and security environment that his predecessor faced, as well as the region's soaring food prices brought on by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The task of rallying the bloc to reinstate constitutional government in the three countries of Burkina Faso, Guinea, and Mali, which are now ruled by the military, would also fall to the incoming Chairman.
As he leaves office, President Akufo-Addo leaves behind a solid leadership legacy that assisted the region in managing the COVID-19 situation. President of Guinea-Bissau, Umaro Sissoco Embalo, has been unanimously chosen to lead the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo of Ghana, who has led the nation for two terms starting in 2020, will be replaced by him.
Embalo will have to deal with the challenging political and security environment that his predecessor faced, as well as the region's soaring food prices brought on by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The task of rallying the bloc to reinstate constitutional government in the three countries of Burkina Faso, Guinea, and Mali, which are now ruled by the military, would also fall to the incoming Chairman.
His efforts to uphold democratic values in the area and his stated opposition to the upheaval were further achievements. It is widely acknowledged that he inspired his colleagues to uphold the term limitations on their tenures.
The Authority's most recent meeting was presided over by President Akufo-Addo, who urged the group to take a coordinated approach to address regional security challenges.
In order to reduce the threat of terrorism, he also persuaded his colleagues to agree to putting the regional action plan against terrorism into effect.
"Our resolve to maintain the stability of our region and of its member nations must be equally unwavering as our determination in this aim must be stronger than before," he added.
The President also urged member nations to prioritise agriculture in order to help the region become self-sufficient in food in the face of rising food costs brought on by the Russian sanctions. He pleaded with member nations to be watchful against the COVID-19 pandemic because "the threat is still around," emphasising that the region cannot afford to have the pandemic strike again given the significant and disruptive political and security concerns it is now facing.
"The handling of this epidemic demonstrates our organization's capacity to pool our resources in the face of a serious shared threat. However, since COVID-19 is still active, we must maintain our vigilance, he stated.