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In a statement following Sunday's announcement, Bio promised to prioritize democracy, security cooperation, economic integration and institutional credibility.

“We are still confronting insecurity in the Sahel and coastal states, terrorism, political instability, illicit arms flow and transnational organized crimes continue to test the resilience of our nations and the effectiveness of our institutions,� he said.

Bio is currently serving his second term as president after a two years ago in the coastal West African country.

He was president when ECOWAS following a coup two years ago. Niger cited the sanctions as one of the reasons for leaving the bloc. Sierra Leone was one of the countries that supported a in the country in 2023.

At home, Bio is facing an and a stagnating economy.

Bio's new position comes as the region faces its most severe crisis in decades with controlling vast swaths of the Sahel, a semi-arid region south of the Sahara.

In the past few years, ECOWAS has struggled with the departure of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger which have all faced military coups. All three juntas left the bloc, and created their own security partnership, the . They have cut ties with the traditional Western allies, ousting French and American military forces, and instead sought new security ties with Russia.

The three countries have been the hardest hit by jihadist violence in recent years.