President Bio delivering his acceptance speech

*First Time Chairmanship Position for Sierra Leone as a Founding Member

*His acceptance 

*Huge Tasks Ahead

  Abubakar Hashim

President Julius Maada Bio has officially resumed ECOWAS Chairman today, for one-year term, subject to renewal. He took over from President Bola Tinubu, who had spent his two terms.

This is quite historic, as it is the first time Sierra Leone resumes as chairman of ECOWAS, despite being a founding member of the organisation in Lagos in 1975, during the presidency of late Siaka Stevens.

Bio assumes office amid huge challenges

In his acceptance speech, he thanked and commended Tinubu for steering the organisation amid perilous terrain.

He went further to remark: “I accept this responsibility with full awareness of the magnitude of the tasks ahead and the complexity of the moment”.

The ECOWAS meeting

There are huge challenges ahead for Bio. There are now four military governments, Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, in the ECOWAS region, with three, Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, already exited, to form an alliance.

Bio, a retired military general, now a democrat, also revealed in his acceptance speech, that he would unlock, build institutional credibility and revitalise regional cooperation to ECOWAS.

ECOWAS recently celebrated its 50th anniversary in Lagos, where it was formed and ratified.

In his new capacity as ECOWAS Chairman, Bio is saddled with a huge task of bringing back the three countries, now under military rule, to ECOWAS.

This huge task ahead of Bio is significant for two strategic reasons:

1. All three countries exited are all security-risked countries, with borders in the Sahel, where terrorism hibernates.
2. ⁠All three countries share borders with Nigeria. Insecurity in Nigeria has a multiplier effects to neighbouring countries.

ECOWAS is currently at crossroads. The Bio-led stewardship for the next one year will be herculean.

Will his military experience and prowess be useful in bringing back the countries that exited to ECOWAS?

These, and many other huge challenges, mainly economic, will determine Bio’s success as new ECOWAS chairman

ACCEPTANCE SPEECH BY HIS EXCELLENCY JULIUS MAADA BIO, PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF SIERRA LEONE, ON HIS ELECTION

AS THE CHAIRMAN OF THE AUTHORITY OF ECOWAS HEADS OF STATE AND

GOVERNMENT

SUNDAY, JUNE 22ND 2025

YOUR EXCELLENCIES, COLLEAGUES, HEADS OF

STATE AND GOVERNMENT,

DISTINGUISHED GUESTS,

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN,

1. I am both humbled and grateful to accept the honour of chairing the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government.
2. Thank you for placing your trust in me and in the Republic of Sierra Leone.
3. I accept this responsibility with full awareness of the magnitude of the task ahead and the complexity of the moment.
4. Let me begin by recognising the outstanding leadership of my predecessor and dear brother, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
5. Your tenure was marked by unwavering commitment to regional dialogue, economic recovery, and peace-building.
6. I am honoured to build upon the strong foundation you have established. Thank you for your exceptional leadership.
7. YOUR EXCELLENCIES, as we gather here in June 2025, our region is at a crossroads.
8. The West Africa we lead today is facing serious challenges — some long-standing, others new and evolving.
9. We are still confronting insecurity in the Sahel and coastal states.
10. Terrorism, political instability, illicit arms flows, and transnational organised crime continue to test the resilience of our nations and the effectiveness of our institutions.
11. The democratic space is under strain.
12. In parts of our region, the constitutional order has been disrupted.
13. Yet, across West Africa, citizens — especially our youth — are demanding not just elections, but accountability, transparency, and a fair stake in national life.
14. Economically, our region is recovering from external shocks, including global inflation, food insecurity, energy constraints, and debt vulnerabilities.
15. The effects of climate change — coastal erosion, floods, droughts — are no longer distant threats.
16. They are disrupting livelihoods today and demanding bold adaptation strategies and sustainable investments.
17. BUT THERE IS ALSO GREAT PROMISE.
18. Our vibrant and youthful population, abundant natural resources, and entrepreneurial spirit remain our strongest assets.
19. In this context, ECOWAS’s mandate must be redefined — not as a distant institution but as a proactive, people-centred vehicle for peace, inclusion, and opportunity.
20. As Chair, I will prioritise FOUR KEY AREAS:
21. FIRST, RESTORING CONSTITUTIONAL ORDER AND DEEPENING DEMOCRACY.
22. We must engage transitional governments constructively and support Member States in building stronger democratic institutions rooted in the rule of law.
23. SECOND, REVITALISING REGIONAL SECURITY

COOPERATION.

24. We must overhaul our collective security architecture — from intelligence sharing to rapid response — to confront new threats with unity and resolve.
25. THIRD, UNLOCKING ECONOMIC INTEGRATION.
26. The ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme,

regional infrastructure, and cross-border value chains must become engines of jobs, trade, and resilience, especially for women and youth.

27. FOURTH, BUILDING INSTITUTIONAL CREDIBILITY.

28ECOWAS must reform itself and become more transparent, efficient, and responsive to its people’s needs.

29.That is how we will rebuild trust in regional cooperation.

30. I believe West Africa’s future is not one of decline, but of possibility — if we act with courage, unity, and moral clarity.

30. Let us rise to this moment together, not as separate nations, but as a united community of destiny.
31. Thank you, and may God bless our efforts and the West Africa region.