Nigeria Takes the Helm of AU Peace and Security Council for May 2026
Oru Leonard
Nigeria has assumed the chairmanship of the African Union Peace and Security Council for the month of May 2026, marking a renewed leadership role in shaping continental peace and security priorities.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs Nigeria announced the development in Abuja, noting that this is the first time Nigeria will chair the Council since December 2022. As the only member state to have maintained continuous representation on the Council since its establishment in 2004, Nigeria is expected to leverage its deep institutional experience to guide deliberations.
During its tenure, Nigeria will steer discussions on a range of critical issues affecting Africa, particularly in the West African and Sahel regions. Key agenda items include the growing impact of climate change on conflict dynamics in the Lake Chad Basin and the Sahel, strategies to combat transnational organised crime, and the proposed five-year continental counter-terrorism plan.
Other focus areas include advancing the operationalisation of the African Standby Force and strengthening maritime security through the proposed Combined Maritime Task Force aimed at tackling piracy in the Gulf of Guinea.
The 15-member Council, a central organ of the African Union, comprises countries elected based on regional representation and serves as a standing decision-making body for conflict prevention, management, and resolution across the continent.
Nigeria joins fellow member states including Benin, Gabon, Algeria, Lesotho, Morocco, Somalia, South Africa, Côte d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sierra Leone, Uganda, Ethiopia, Cameroon, and Eswatini in advancing the Council’s mandate.
Officials say Nigeria’s chairmanship is expected to reinforce coordinated African responses to emerging security threats while promoting sustainable peace initiatives across the continent.
