Leaders of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) convened in Abuja, Nigeria, on Sunday, June 22, 2025, amid mounting political turbulence in the region. The summit, held against a backdrop of recent military coups, focused on the bloc’s internal fractures particularly the anticipated withdrawal of Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso
ECOWAS Commission President Omar Alieu Touray is expected to brief members on the status of negotiations surrounding the trio’s exit, a move that would significantly alter the bloc’s political and economic landscape.
The gathering also marks the end of Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s tenure as ECOWAS chairman. Taking office in 2023, Tinubu championed a bold vision of regional stability and integration. However, his legacy remains mixed: while denouncing military coups and advocating military intervention in Niger, those plans were eventually shelved, and deeper reforms largely fell short.
In a final diplomatic overture, Tinubu extended an invitation to the breakaway Sahelian states for a subregional economic meeting on Saturday. All three declined, underscoring the widening gulf between them and the broader ECOWAS alliance.
Attention now turns to Tinubu’s likely successor, with frontrunners including Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye and Ghana’s former President John Dramani Mahama. A long-observed tradition of rotating leadership among the region’s language groups is expected to play a role in the selection.
The incoming chair will face immediate challenges: repairing internal cohesion, redefining ECOWAS’s role in the region, and navigating complex negotiations with the military-led governments poised to exit.
