Abuja, Nigeria , December 12, 2025 — The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission has announced the appointment of Dr Habibu Yaya Bappah as the new Commissioner for Internal Services. He was sworn in  today   by Hon Justice Ricardo Cláudio Monteiro Gonçalves, President of the ECOWAS Court of Justice, during the closing ceremony of the 95th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Council of Ministers.

Dr Bappah, a Nigerian national, brings to the position over two decades of distinguished professional experience, including more than nine years of continuous service at the executive core of the ECOWAS Commission’s leadership. His appointment underscores the Commission’s commitment to strengthening institutional effectiveness, administrative efficiency, and good governance in line with ECOWAS Vision 2050.

Prior to his appointment, Dr Bappah served as Special Adviser to the President of the ECOWAS Commission on Economic and Financial Integration and Partnerships. He also previously held the positions of Executive Assistant to Commissioners in charge of Finance and Political Affairs, Peace and Security, roles which placed him at the heart of the Commission’s administrative, procedural, policy, and financial operations.

Throughout his service, Dr Bappah has made substantive contributions to the strategic management, institutional development, policy coordination, and programme implementation of the Community. He has provided high-level strategic advice to the President of the Commission, supported decision-making processes at management and statutory organs’ levels, and played a key role in advancing reforms aimed at enhancing regulatory compliance, inter-departmental coordination, and operational efficiency.

Dr Bappah has also been instrumental in supporting economic and financial governance reforms, including public finance management, resource mobilisation, budget planning and execution, and the alignment of annual programmes with the Community Strategic Framework. In the area of peace and security, he contributed to preventive diplomacy missions, electoral assistance, mediation processes, and the implementation of regional peace and security initiatives.

An accomplished academic, Dr Bappah previously spent ten years as a lecturer at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, where he specialised in international relations, with a strong focus on regional integration and ECOWAS. He taught courses in comparative regionalism, development administration, and international relations theory, while also serving actively in university governance, including two terms as a member of the University Senate.

Dr Bappah holds a Doctorate in Political Science with a focus on ECOWAS institutional evolution, a Master’s degree in Political Science specialising in economic integration and the ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme, a Master’s degree in Leadership and Security, and a Bachelor’s degree in International Studies. He is fluent in English and French.

In his new role as Commissioner for Internal Services, Dr Habibu Yaya Bappah is expected to leverage his deep institutional knowledge, leadership in statutory and documentation processes, and expertise in administration, financial management, ethics, change management, and inter-departmental governance to further strengthen the effectiveness of the ECOWAS Commission.