It was a milestone for West Africans and the world yesterday to witness the handover of power from the Gambian traitor, Dr Omar Alieu Touray, to General Birame Diop at the new ECOWAS Commission Headquarters in Abuja, Nigeria. (Photo: General Diop and Omar Touray).

The Commission held the formal welcome and send-off ceremony for incoming and outgoing statutory appointees and Heads of ECOWAS Institutions, following the completion of the former leadership’s four-year tenure.

It was during the historic event that General Birame DIOP of Senegal officially assumed office as the new President of the ECOWAS Commission, amid applause, succeeding Dr Omar Alieu Touray of The Gambia.

Since President Bassirou Faye of Senegal succeeded the useless, unfit, and illegal Sierra Leone President Julius Maada Bio as ECOWAS chair on July 19, 2026, in Lungi, Sierra Leone, very little has been done to move the rejuvenated ECOWAS forward. (Photos: General Diop and Touray yesterday).

This is because his new ECOWAS President General Birame Diop was not officially in office. President Faye was determined not to work with the traitorous Gambian diplomat or to do anything with outgoing ECOWAS President Omar Touray for obvious reasons.

But from yesterday, after the official transfer of power from Touray to Diop, the ECOWAS Commission will now carry out its full functions, including resolving the Sierra Leone impasse, which has dragged on for three years now due to high-level bribery and corruption.

Thank goodness, the two key ECOWAS leaders from Senegal are determined to see democracy restored in Sierra Leone on time in accordance with the dictates of the international community led by the US, UK, UN, EU, Commonwealth, etc.

The Faye era will implement, among other vital ECOWAS projects, all the goodies that the former corrupt ECOWAS Commissioners had neglected and stopped to the detriment of the people of West Africa. Now, the Senegal brothers Faye and Diop will perform miracles. (Photos: ECOWAS meeting yesterday).

Unlike the Gambian brothers and sister Touray, President Adama Barrow and former Vice President Aja Fatoumata Jallow-Tambajang, who undermined democracy in Sierra Leone, the Senegalese brothers will move mountains and make ECOWAS great again for citizens.

There are smiles everywhere after yesterday’s meeting in Abuja, especially among Democrats. ECOWAS has been a laughingstock for years now, especially after the fraudulent June 24, 2023 elections in Sierra Leone, stolen from the President-elect Dr Samura Kamara.

ECOWAS Holds Welcome and Send-Off Ceremony for Incoming and Outgoing Statutory Appointees As General Birame Diop Assumes Office as New President of the ECOWAS Commission

Abuja, Nigeria, 31 August 2026: The ECOWAS Commission held a formal welcome and send-off ceremony for incoming and outgoing statutory appointees and Heads of ECOWAS Institutions, following the completion of the outgoing leadership’s four-year tenure. During the event, H.E. General Birame DIOP of Senegal officially assumed office as the new President of the ECOWAS Commission, succeeding H.E. Dr. Omar Alieu TOURAY of The Gambia. H.E. Mr. Anthony OGUNJIMI of Nigeria also succeeded H.E. Mrs. Damtien TCHINTCHIBIDJA of Togo as Vice President. (Photos: ECOWAS yesterday and Bio’s picture excluded from Jubilee Photo).

Held at the Commission’s new headquarters in Abuja, the ceremony included the unveiling of the ECOWAS@50 Special Exclusive Publication by Africa Agenda Network in partnership with the ECOWAS Commission, the symbolic presentation of the Management Performance Compendium to the incoming President, and the signing of handover notes by the outgoing and incoming Presidents, Vice Presidents, and statutory appointees. The other incoming statutory appointees are:

Dr. Kalilou SYLLA (Côte d’Ivoire)  Commissioner for Internal Services; Mrs. Francess ALGHALI  (Sierra Leone), Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security; Mr. Dehpue Yenpea ZUO (Liberia), Commissioner for Economic Affairs and Agriculture; Mr. Amin Amidu SULEMANI ( Ghana) , Commissioner for Infrastructure, Energy and Digitalisation; Prof. Nassirou BAKO-ARIFARI (Benin), Commissioner for Human Development and Social Affairs; Ms. Carla Maria Borges BETTENCOURT (Cabo Verde), Auditor-General for ECOWAS Institutions; Dr. Palokinam PITCHE  (Togo), Director-General of the West African Health Organisation (WAHO); and Mr. Mam Cherno JALLOW, Director-General of the Inter-Governmental Action Group against Money Laundering in West Africa (GIABA).

In his farewell address, the outgone President, Dr Omar Alieu TOURAY, expressed gratitude for the opportunity to serve and reflected on the achievements of his four-year tenure, stressing that the outgoing leadership was leaving behind “not only memories, speeches and decisions” but also “a record” of institutional and regional accomplishments. In his inaugural address, the new President of the ECOWAS Commission, General Birame DIOP, called for renewed unity, solidarity and mutual respect as the foundation for advancing regional integration and strengthening the effectiveness of the ECOWAS Commission.

He urged staff and stakeholders to work collectively to build a united, cohesive and efficient institution capable of responding to the aspirations and challenges of the West African region. “My solemn appeal to all of you is to make way for unity and solidarity, based on mutual respect,” he said, stressing that the strength of regional integration would be measured by the Community’s collective ability to remain united and purposeful. “A new chapter has been opened for West African integration. Let us work together to make it a chapter of peace, dignity and shared prosperity,” he declared. Courtesy: ECOWAS Commission.