Odimmegwa Johnpeter/Abuja
Nigeria has assumed the chairmanship of the African Union (AU) Peace and Security Council (PSC) for the month of May 2026, reaffirming the country’s longstanding leadership role in promoting peace, security and stability across Africa.
A statement issued by the spokesperson, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kimiebi Ebienfa noted that the last time Nigeria chaired the Council was in December 2022. It added that Nigeria remains the only African Union member state to have continuously served on the Peace and Security Council since its establishment in 2004, bringing valuable institutional experience and leadership to the body.
As chair of the Council this month, Nigeria will lead deliberations on critical thematic and country-specific issues affecting Africa, particularly the West African and Sahel regions.
Key issues expected to dominate discussions include the impact of climate change on conflicts in the Lake Chad Basin and the Sahel, strategies for tackling transnational organised crime across Africa, the draft five-year AU Continental Counter-Terrorism Strategic Plan of Action, and the operationalisation of the African Standby Force.
The Council will also examine measures to strengthen maritime security through the operationalisation of the Combined Maritime Task Force to combat piracy in the Gulf of Guinea.
The African Union Peace and Security Council is made up of 15 member states elected by the AU Executive Council and endorsed by the AU Assembly, with members serving two or three-year terms based on regional representation.
Current members of the Council include Nigeria, Benin, Gabon, Algeria, Lesotho, Morocco, Somalia, South Africa, Côte d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sierra Leone, Uganda, Ethiopia, Cameroon and Eswatini.
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