Nigeria has assumed the chairmanship of the African Union Peace and Security Council for the month of May 2026.
This was disclosed in a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Nigeria in Abuja on Friday, noting that the development underscores Nigeria’s longstanding leadership role within the African Union architecture.
According to the Ministry, the last time Nigeria chaired the Council was in December 2022. It further highlighted that Nigeria remains the only AU member state to have served continuously on the Council since its establishment in 2004, bringing considerable institutional memory and diplomatic experience to its current leadership role.
During its tenure in May, Nigeria is expected to steer high level discussions on a range of thematic and country-specific issues affecting both the West African and Sahel regions, as well as the broader African continent.
Key agenda items include the growing impact of climate change on security challenges in the Lake Chad Basin and the Sahel; strategies for tackling transnational organised crime across Africa; and the development of a Draft Five-Year AU Continental Counter-Terrorism Strategic Plan of Action.
Other critical focus areas are the operationalisation of the African Standby Force and efforts to strengthen maritime security through the proposed Combined Maritime Task Force aimed at combating piracy in the Gulf of Guinea.
The Peace and Security Council, a standing decision-making organ for the prevention, management, and resolution of conflicts in Africa, comprises 15 member states elected by the AU Executive Council and endorsed by the Assembly. Members serve either two- or three-year terms based on regional representation.
The current composition of the Council includes Nigeria, Benin, Gabon, Algeria, Lesotho, Morocco, Somalia, South Africa, Côte d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sierra Leone, Uganda, Ethiopia, Cameroon, and Eswatini.
