ECOWAS Endorses Ghana for AU Chair

ECOWAS has endorsed Ghana’s President John Mahama as its sole candidate to chair the African Union (AU) in 2027. That means when it’s West Africa’s turn in the AU’s regional rotation system, ECOWAS is telling every other West African leader: don’t contest him.

In this video, I break down:

How the AU chairmanship rotation works across Africa’s five regions

Why Angola holds the AU chair now, why Central Africa is next in 2026, and why West Africa gets 2027

The difference between the AU Assembly (heads of state) and the AU Commission (day-to-day “CEO” of the Union)

Ghana’s history with the OAU/AU: Nkrumah and Ankrah as OAU chairs, and Kufuor as AU chair in 2007

Why Mahama is already powerful inside the AU:

Second Vice Chair of the AU

AU Champion of Reparations

Chair of the High-Level African Trade Committee (AfCFTA and intra-African trade)

Involved with the Tana Security Forum

AU High Representative for Somalia

I also explain:

How the ECOWAS Council of Ministers in Abuja works, and why their endorsement almost guarantees that ECOWAS heads of state will follow

Why even West African states outside ECOWAS (Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso) will find it hard to run against Mahama in 2027

What this endorsement says about Ghana’s reputation in Africa and its role in Pan-African economic and political integration

If you’re interested in African geopolitics, ECOWAS, the African Union, and Ghana’s place on the continent, this is for you.