Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye embarked on an official visit to Ghana on Friday, May 17th, following his trip to Nigeria the previous day. During his meetings with Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, who is also the current chair of ECOWAS, and Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo, Faye pledged to defend democracy and maintain dialogue with Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali. These Sahelian countries, now under military rule, announced their withdrawal from ECOWAS earlier this year.
In Nigeria and Ghana, Faye’s election has been viewed as a beacon of hope for “the democratic future of the region and the continent,” demonstrating the value of constitutional democracy to Africa and the world.
Leaders in these anglophone countries also expect the new Senegalese president to work towards “bringing back” the “brotherly countries” of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger into the ECOWAS fold. These nations have been affected by “unconstitutional changes of government.”
The sub-regional organization is “facing a challenging period,” but “not all is lost,” as stated in a communiqué from the Nigerian presidency.
During their meeting in Abuja, Presidents Tinubu and Faye committed to defending “democratic values” and putting them “at the service of the people.” They also vowed to collaborate on security issues, particularly addressing “terrorism, banditry, human trafficking, and poverty.”
Maurice Soudieck Dione, a political science professor at Gaston Berger University in Saint-Louis, noted that Bassirou Diomaye Faye is well-positioned to facilitate the return of these AES countries to ECOWAS. “Senegal holds democratic prestige after navigating through a crisis,” Dione said.
Faye’s efforts to uphold democratic principles and promote regional stability underscore his commitment to strengthening West Africa’s political landscape during these turbulent times.