Abuja: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has announced Nigeria’s emergence as chairman of the African Union (AU) Peace and Security Council for the Month of May 2026. The ministry’s Spokesperson, Kimiebi Ebienfa, disclosed this in a statement issued on Friday in Abuja, saying the last time Nigeria chaired the Council was in December 2022.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, Nigeria, being the only AU member state to have been in the council since its inception in the year 2004, will bring institutional memory to the leadership of the Council. Kimiebi noted that during the month of May 2026, Nigeria will lead the Council on discussions around various thematic and country-specific issues pertinent to both the West African/Sahel Region and the continent as a whole.
Kimiebi further elaborated on some of the key issues that will be considered, including the impact of climate change on the crisis situation in the Lake Chad Basin and Sahel regions, as well as African strategies for combating transnational organised crime across the continent. Other significant matters on the agenda include the Draft 5-year AU Continental Counter Terrorism Strategic Plan of Action, the operationalization of the African Standby Force, and the establishment of the Combined Maritime Task Force to address piracy in the Gulf of Guinea.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the AU Peace and Security Council comprises 15 members elected by the Executive Council and endorsed by the AU Assembly, with members serving two or three-year terms based on regional representation. The current membership of the AU PSC includes Nigeria, Benin, Gabon, Algeria, Lesotho, Morocco, Somalia, South Africa, C´te d’Ivoire, DRC, Sierra Leone, Uganda, Ethiopia, Cameroon, and Eswatini.