President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has been re-elected for a second term as Chairman of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

Heads of States of the Authority at its extraordinary session held on February 2, 2021, via Videoconference decided by general consensus that President Akufo-Addo will continue as ECOWAS Chairman for one more year.

The ECOWAS communique issued at the end of the conference said President Akufo-Addo is to oversee the implementation of institutional reforms relating to enhanced financial management and internal control of the Institution.

“To this end, the Authority calls on H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, President of the Republic of Ghana, with the support of the Ministerial Ad hoc Committee on Institutional Reform, to lead reflection on the issue. A Report on this point will be submitted to the Ordinary Session of the Authority to be held in June 2021. To that effect, a general consensus emerged from the Heads of State and Government that H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo continue for a second term as Chair of the ECOWAS Authority to oversee the implementation of the Reform.
ECOWAS Communique

“The Heads of State and Government express sincere appreciation to H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, President of the Republic of Ghana, Chair of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, for his leadership in steering the affairs of the Community”
ECOWAS Communique

The Extraordinary session, under the chairmanship of President Akufo-Addo was in preparation for the 34th ordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union on the election of the new management team of the African Union Commission.

The communique disclosed that Heads of State and Government took note of the Memorandum on the selection of the Chairperson of the African Union for the 2022 – 2023 period and the proposed mechanism for the nomination of countries in coming years. They also took note of the report of the ECOWAS Council of Ministers on the harmonization of Member States’ applications for positions in international organizations. Lastly, the Heads of State and Government took note of the Memorandum on the implementation of the ECOWAS institutional reform.

On the nomination of the ECOWAS Member State to chair the African Union, the Authority nominated the Republic of Senegal as ECOWAS candidate to chair the African Union for the 2022 – 2023 period and instructed the President of the ECOWAS Commission, H.E. Jean-Claude Kassi Brou, to take the necessary steps to immediately notify the African Union Commission of the nomination.

Background

President Akufo-Addo was first elected Chair of ECOWAS on September 7 2020 by the 57th Ordinary Session of the Authority. He was elected to take over the mantle of leadership from the President of Niger, His Excellency Mahamadou Issoufou, for a period of one year.

Established on May 28, 1975 via the treaty of Lagos, ECOWAS is a 15-member regional group with a mandate of promoting economic integration in all fields of activity of the constituting countries. The 15 member countries are Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Cote d’ Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Senegal and Togo.