ECOWAS endorses John Mahama as West Africa’s candidate for AU chair in 2027
Ghana's Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, welcomed the decision, thanking his ECOWAS counterparts for what he described as a strong vote of confidence in Ghana's leadership and pan-African credentials.
The Council of Ministers of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), meeting in Abuja, Nigeria, has unanimously endorsed former Ghanaian President John Mahama as West Africa's sole candidate for the Chairpersonship of the African Union when the rotating leadership reaches the sub-region in 2027.
The endorsement signals a rare moment of regional consensus at a time when West Africa is navigating renewed political fragility.
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Ghana's Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, welcomed the decision, thanking his ECOWAS counterparts for what he described as a strong vote of confidence in Ghana's leadership and pan-African credentials.
"Ghana is exceedingly grateful to ECOWAS for the confidence and support shown to our visionary and pan-African President, John Dramani Mahama," Ablakwa said in a public statement.
The AU chairmanship, held by a sitting head of state on a rotating basis, provides political leadership and continental visibility for one year, while the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, elected separately, serves as the organisation's chief executive, overseeing policy implementation, finances, and daily operations.
Mahama's endorsement comes against a turbulent regional backdrop.
Francophone West Africa has in recent years been unsettled by a resurgence of military coups, with Guinea-Bissau the latest to be thrown into uncertainty and an attempted coup in Benin narrowly thwarted with regional support.
These developments have sharpened concerns about democratic backsliding and institutional fragility across the sub-region.
Against this backdrop, ECOWAS' backing of Mahama is as much a political signal as it is a procedural step, an attempt to project stability, continuity, and civilian leadership at a moment when the region is under strain.
Mahama, a long-time advocate of African multilateralism and democratic governance, is currently in Kenya, where he is attending Jamhuri Day celebrations, displaying Ghana's continued engagement with continental partners beyond West Africa.
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