Senegal is stepping up diplomatic consultations across West Africa to strengthen support for the candidacy of General Birame Diop for the presidency of the ECOWAS Commission.
After visits to Freetown and Abidjan, Senegal’s Foreign Minister Cheikh Niang continued his regional tour in Lomé, where he was received by Togolese President Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé.
Carrying a message from Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, the foreign minister presented Dakar’s preferred candidate to head the executive body of the regional grouping.
“I came as an emissary of the President of the Republic of Senegal, Bassirou Diomaye Diakhar Faye, carrying a personal message to his brother and friend, the President of the Council, Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé. I also had the honor of presenting to the President of the Council the candidate chosen by the Senegalese President for the election of the next President of the ECOWAS Commission,” Cheikh Niang said.
The visit is part of a broader diplomatic offensive launched by Dakar ahead of upcoming institutional deadlines within the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
Earlier the same day, the Senegalese minister met in Abidjan with Ivorian Vice-President Tiémoko Meyliet Koné, in the presence of General Birame Diop. On that occasion, he formally notified Ivorian authorities of Senegal’s candidacy and sought their backing ahead of the next ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government summit.
He also thanked Côte d’Ivoire for its support in securing Senegal’s assumption of the ECOWAS Commission presidency for the 2026–2030 term, while calling for renewed backing for General Diop, presented as a candidate capable of helping revitalise the institution amid ongoing regional security and political challenges.
The diplomatic push began on 6 June in Freetown, where Sierra Leonean President Julius Maada Bio, current ECOWAS chairperson, received a Senegalese delegation led by Cheikh Niang and including General Birame Diop.
Following that meeting, Maada Bio reiterated his commitment to strengthening bilateral relations, as Sierra Leone prepares to hand over the rotating ECOWAS presidency.
These consultations come as Senegal prepares to assume a historic role within ECOWAS. At the December 2025 Abuja summit, heads of state designated Dakar to lead the commission for the 2026–2030 term, a first since the organisation’s creation.
According to observers, the regional tour aims to consolidate consensus around General Diop’s candidacy ahead of upcoming West African leaders’ meetings. It also comes amid expectations that Senegal could further strengthen its influence within ECOWAS should President Bassirou Diomaye Faye assume the rotating chairmanship of the Authority of Heads of State, potentially combining political leadership of the bloc with control of its commission.
In Lomé, Cheikh Niang praised the Togolese president’s availability and commitment to regional integration.
“The talks reflect the excellence of relations between Togo and Senegal. The two countries have been close since independence,” he said.
Togo, like Côte d’Ivoire and Sierra Leone, thus remains a key stop in Dakar’s efforts to secure the support needed to advance its ambitions within the West African regional organisation.
AC/Sf/lb/as/APA