By Emmanuel Nduka Obsiue
Nigeria has recorded a major diplomatic victory at the 39th African Union (AU) Summit in Addis Ababa, securing a permanent seat on the board of the African Central Bank.
The country’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, announced the development on Friday, describing it as a landmark achievement for Nigeria and the wider West African region.
“Importantly, Nigeria has been given the hosting of the African Monetary Institute and the African Central Bank. Not only that, in today’s plenary, Nigeria was confirmed a seat on the board of the African Central Bank. This is huge,” Tuggar said.
He noted that the decision did not come without resistance from some member states but said Nigeria’s diplomatic engagement ultimately prevailed.
“It is something that was initially resisted by some countries, so now we have a permanent seat on the African Central Bank board. It’s a major success,” he added.
Heritage Times HT reports that the African Central Bank is a key financial institution envisioned under the AU’s Agenda 2063 framework, aimed at strengthening monetary integration and financial governance across the continent. Nigeria’s permanent seat is seen as enhancing its influence in shaping Africa’s financial architecture.
Beyond financial governance, Nigeria and the West African bloc also recorded gains in elections to the Peace and Security Council (PSC), the AU’s highest decision-making organ on peace and conflict matters. Côte d’Ivoire, Sierra Leone and the Republic of Benin secured seats, with Benin winning a fresh term while the other two were re-elected.
The PSC also deliberated on the situations in Sudan and Somalia, where Nigeria voiced reservations over Sudan’s potential readmission into the AU.
“Nigeria voiced its reservations about Sudan being readmitted because, as you know, there are two warring factions in Sudan,” Tuggar said, stressing the need to uphold AU rules on unconstitutional changes of government.
This year’s summit theme focuses on sustainable water availability and safe sanitation systems under Agenda 2063. Tuggar highlighted Nigeria’s demographic weight and geographic identity, noting the country’s pivotal role in advancing the continent’s water sustainability goals.
Vice President Kashim Shettima also joined Nigeria’s delegation for high-level plenary engagements.
