The 45th ordinary meeting of the Committee of Chiefs of Defence Staff of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) will hold from November 16 to 18, 2026 in Dakar, Senegal.
According to a statement issued on November 12 by the Directorate of Information and Public Relations of the Armed Forces (DIRPA), the meeting will bring together the Chiefs of Defence Staff from member states to address issues concerning regional defence and security, military matters and security cooperation within the regional bloc.
As a technical body of ECOWAS, the Committee of Chiefs of Defence Staff examines military affairs and formulates recommendations for the organization’s governing bodies. It holds one to two ordinary sessions per year.
The statement stated that since October 12, 2026, the committee had been chaired by Vice Admiral Oumar Wade, Chief of the General Staff of the Senegalese Armed Forces.
The official opening ceremony is scheduled for Monday, November 16, at 10:00 a.m. at the Noom Hotel, presided over by Senegal’s Minister of the Armed Forces, Yankhoba Dieme.
It added that the proceedings will conclude on Wednesday, November 18, with a closing ceremony set for 9:00 a.m. at the Dial Diop military camp.
According to the statement, the ECOWAS Chiefs of Defence Staff are also expected to attend the celebration of the Senegalese Armed Forces Day, scheduled for Thursday, November 19.
This meeting takes place against a backdrop where security challenges in West Africa necessitate greater coordination of military responses and strengthened cooperation among the region’s armed forces.
TE/Sf/fss/gik/APA