Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has revealed that the country’s leadership as Chair of the African Union (AU) Peace and Security Council will focus on discussions around climate change and transborder crimes among a number of other thematic and country-specific issues of interest to both the West African/Sahel Region and the continent in general.

This was mentioned after the announcement of 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 recently, revealing that the last time Nigeria chaired the Council was in December, 2022.

According to him, Nigeria, as the only AU member state to have been on the Council since its inception in 2004, will bring institutional memory to the Council’s leadership.

Kimiebi said, “During the month of May, 2026, Nigeria will lead the 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. May, 2026, Nigeria will lead the Council.

“Others are the Draft 5-year AU Continental Counter Terrorism Strategic Plan of Action; operationalisation of the African Standby Force; and the Operationalisation of the Combined Maritime Task Force in addressing Piracy in the Gulf of Guinea; among others.”

The AU PSC consists of 15 members elected by the Executive Council and endorsed by the AU Assembly, serving two or three-year terms based on regional representation.

Also, the current membership of the AU PSC consists of Nigeria, Benin, Gabon, Algeria, Lesotho, Morocco, Somalia, South Africa, Côte d’Ivoire, DRC, Sierra Leone, Uganda, Ethiopia, Cameroon, and Eswatini.

Source: NAN