President John Dramani Mahama has been confirmed as ECOWAS’s official nominee for the African Union Chairmanship for 2027.
This follows a unanimous endorsement by the ECOWAS Council of Ministers at its meeting in Abuja, Nigeria, where ministers agreed to present President Mahama as the bloc’s sole candidate when the rotating chairmanship returns to the West African region.
The AU Chairmanship rotates annually among Africa’s five regions. The current Chair, President João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço of Angola, assumed office in February 2025 and is serving a one-year term on behalf of Southern Africa.
In endorsing Mr Mahama, the Council highlighted both his personal stature and Ghana’s role as a key ECOWAS member state with significant contributions to the bloc’s regional and international standing.
The ministers also noted that presenting a unified candidate would improve ECOWAS’s prospects of securing influential positions within continental and global bodies.
The Council’s recommendation will now be forwarded to the Authority of Heads of State and Government, which is expected to adopt the declaration at its meeting on Sunday.
