Sierra Leone will host the 69th Ordinary Session of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of the Economic Community of West African States on 19 July 2026 at the Julius Maada Bio International Conference Centre in Freetown, as regional leaders gather to address growing security, political and institutional challenges across West Africa. The summit will be chaired by Sierra Leonean President Julius Maada Bio, whose tenure as ECOWAS Chairman is expected to conclude during the meeting. Ahead of the summit, Freetown will host a week of statutory meetings from 12 to 17 July, including sessions of the Committee on Administration and Finance, the Mediation and Security Council, and the Council of Ministers. The meetings are expected to prepare key policy recommendations for adoption by regional leaders.
On 18 July, President Bio is scheduled to inaugurate the Julius Maada Bio International Conference Centre and the new ECOWAS Logistics Depot, facilities designed to strengthen Sierra Leone’s capacity to host major international events and support ECOWAS peace support and emergency response operations. The summit agenda is expected to focus on worsening insecurity in the Sahel and coastal West Africa, democratic governance, institutional reforms and the future direction of the regional bloc following the withdrawal of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, which formed the Confederation of Sahel States (AES).
Regional leaders are also expected to consider changes in ECOWAS leadership. Senegal’s President Bassirou Diomaye Faye is widely expected to assume the bloc’s rotating chairmanship, while Birame Diop is tipped to become President of the ECOWAS Commission for the 2026–2030 term. If confirmed, Senegal would simultaneously hold the political leadership of ECOWAS and the executive leadership of its Commission, positioning Dakar to play a central role in shaping the bloc’s response to regional insecurity, rebuilding relations with the AES and advancing economic integration across West Africa.
