Nigeria has assumed the chairmanship of the African Union (AU) Peace and Security Council (PSC) for May 2026.
This was disclosed in a statement issued by the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kimiebi Ebienfa.
The statement noted that this marks the first time Nigeria will lead the Council since December 2022.
As the only AU member state to have maintained continuous membership of the PSC since its establishment in 2004, Nigeria is expected to bring extensive institutional experience and continuity to the role.
During its chairmanship in May 2026, Nigeria will preside over discussions on several thematic and country-specific issues of importance to the West African and Sahel regions, as well as the wider African continent. These include the impact of climate change on the security situation in the Lake Chad Basin and Sahel; strategies to combat transnational organised crime; the draft five-year AU Continental Counter-Terrorism Strategic Plan of Action; the operationalisation of the African Standby Force; and the implementation of the Combined Maritime Task Force to address piracy in the Gulf of Guinea, among others.
The AU Peace and Security Council is a standing decision-making body responsible for conflict prevention, management and resolution across the continent. It is composed of 15 member states elected by the AU Executive Council and endorsed by the AU Assembly, serving either two- or three-year terms on a rotational regional basis.
Current members of the Council include Nigeria, Benin, Gabon, Algeria, Lesotho, Morocco, Somalia, South Africa, Côte d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sierra Leone, Uganda, Ethiopia, Cameroon and Eswatini.
