Sierra Leone Presi­dent, Julius Maada Bio, has been elected as the new Chairman of the Economic Commu­nities of West Africa States (ECOWAS) Authority of Heads of State and Government.He succeeds Nigeria's President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.The decision was made at the 67th Ordinary Summit of the regional bloc on Sunday in Abuja, Nigeria.President Bio will serve a one-year term in the rotating chair­manship.President Bio, a former Brig­adier General, briefly served as military head of state in 1996.He transitioned to civilian leadership, winning the presiden­tial election in 2018 and securing re-election in 2023 amidst signifi­cant political contestation.His ascension to the ECOWAS chairmanship comes at a crucial juncture for the regional body.President Bio inherits a complex geopolitical landscape marked by lingering post-elec­tion tensions in his own country, including alleged coup attempts and the continued exile of his predecessor, former President Bai Koroma.Currently, four of ECOWAS' 15 member states are under mili­tary rule.The formation of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) by Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, and their subsequent withdrawal from ECOWAS, has further com­pounded the challenges facing ECOWAS. BY JULIUS YAO PETETSI