Nigeria has taken over the chairmanship of the African Union (AU) Peace and Security Council (PSC) for May 2026.
This was made known in a statement issued by the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kimiebi Ebienfa.
The statement noted that this marks the first time Nigeria will lead the Council since December 2022.
As the only AU member state to have maintained continuous membership of the PSC since its establishment in 2004, Nigeria is expected to bring significant institutional experience and continuity to the role.
“During the month of May 2026, Nigeria will be leading the esteemed Council on discussions around a number of thematic and country-specific issues of interest to both the West African/Sahel Region and the continent in general. Some of the issues that will be considered include: the impact of Climate Change on the crisis situation in the Lake Chad Basin and Sahel regions; African strategies for combating Transnational Organised Crime in Africa; the Draft 5-year AU Continental Counter Terrorism Strategic Plan of Action; operationalization of the African Standby Force; and the Operationalisation of the Combined Maritime Task Force in addressing Piracy in the Gulf of Guinea; among others.” It read .
The AU Peace and Security Council, a standing decision-making body responsible for conflict prevention, management and resolution, comprises 15 member states.
These members are elected by the AU Executive Council and endorsed by the AU Assembly, serving either 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.
 Peace and Security Council (PSC) for May 2026.){kind=link}