The 68th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government began at the State House Conference Centre, Abuja, on Sunday.

This commencement was announced via ECOWAS official X handle on Sunday.

The summit features a Special Debate on the Future of the Community, alongside discussions on regional priorities, including political stability, security cooperation, and economic integration and rising challenges threatening the region’s democracy.

Regional leaders have arrived in Nigeria ahead of the session, which is being presided by the President of Sierra Leone and ECOWAS Authority Chairman, Julius Maada Bio.

Upon his arrival in Abuja on Sunday, Bio wrote on X, “I arrived in Abuja, Nigeria, to preside over an Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government.

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“As Chair of the Authority, I look forward to constructive deliberations with my colleagues on the urgent challenges confronting our region.”

Key agenda items include deliberations on the future of the ECOWAS Community, presentation of the 2025 Annual Report on the State of the Community, updates on regional security and mediation efforts, progress on Guinea’s political transition, and a review of the ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme.

The summit is expected to conclude with the adoption of a final communiqué, followed by a joint press conference.

The ECOWAS Council of Ministers meeting in Abuja, earlier this week, unanimously endorsed President John Mahama of Ghana as the region’s sole candidate for the position of Chairperson of the African Union when the rotational slot comes to West Africa in 2027.