NIGERIA REAFFIRMS ECOWAS LEADERSHIP ROLE AS VP SHETTIMA GRACES GUINEA-CONAKRY’S PRESIDENTIAL INAUGURATION

January 17, 2026 on Latest News, Press Releases

In what obviously was an endorsement and upliftment of the Economic Community of West African States’ (ECOWAS) spirit of unity and togetherness, Vice President Kashim Shettima, representing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, today witnessed the swearing into office and inauguration of President S.E Mamadi Doumbouya as the President of Guinea Conakry.

The inauguration of President Doumbouya followed his victory in the December 2025 general elections in the country, a democratic watershed which brought the formal end of a four-year military transition.

Vice President Shettima’s presence at the event has again underscored Nigeria’s leadership role within the ECOWAS and reaffirmed the country’s commitment to the restoration and sustenance of democratic governance across the sub-region.

President Doumbouya will serve a single seven-year term, as stipulated under Guinea’s new constitution approved by a national referendum in September 2025. The revised constitution extended the presidential tenure from five to seven years, renewable only once.

The inauguration, which took place at the GLC Stadium in Nongo, Conakry, had several African leaders, especially from the West African sub region, including Ghana, Senegal, Gambia, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Rwanda, South Africa in attendance.

Other dignitaries at the inauguration included the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr. Omar Alieu Touray; Presidents of Rwanda, Gabon, Guinea-Bissau, and Mauritania, among several other African leaders and high-ranking officials.

In his inaugural address, President Doumbouya pledged to uphold his country’s constitution and the tenets of democracy, transparent governance, and the interest of all Guineans at all times, stressing that under his administration, the country’s peace and national cohesion would not be compromised.

Under President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope agenda, Nigeria has continued to position itself as a stabilising force, advocating for democratic governance as a prerequisite for regional prosperity.

Vice President Kashim Shettima’s visit also serves as a strategic mission to expand the economic corridor between the two West African nations.

The ceremony which held at the General Lansana Conté Stadium in the Guinean capital, Conakry, attracted a massive turnout of citizens amidst fanfare.

Stanley Nkwocha
Senior Special Assistant to The President on Media & Communications
(Office of The Vice President)
17th January 2026