Snowe Hails Brumskine, Zuo-Says Appointments Strengthen Liberia’s Regional Voice

Bomi County Senator Edwin Melvin Snowe, Jr. has congratulated Cllr. Charlyne M. Brumskine and Mr. Dehpue Y. Zuo on their appointments to senior posts in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), crediting the Boakai administration’s diplomacy for securing them. Writing on behalf of the Liberian Delegation to the ECOWAS Parliament, which he heads, Senator Snowe said Cllr. Brumskine’s appointment as a Judge of the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice and Mr. Zuo’s as Commissioner for Economic Affairs and Agriculture bring pride to the nation. The two have taken office within weeks of each other, Mr. Zuo in Abuja on August 31 and Cllr. Brumskine on Tuesday, October 6. THE ANALYST reports.

“A Significant Milestone”

“These distinguished appointments bring pride to our nation and represent a significant milestone for Liberia, reaffirming the valuable contribution of Liberians to the advancement of the ideals and objectives of ECOWAS,” Senator Snowe said in the statement.

He wished the appointees success as they “join other Liberians in the ECOWAS system to fly Liberia’s flag high through dedicated service, professionalism, and integrity.”

The senator thanked President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, Sr. and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the diplomatic engagement that secured the posts.

“The simultaneous representation of Liberian nationals within the ECOWAS Commission and the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice represents a significant achievement for our country,” he said, urging Liberians to let the milestone “strengthen our collective resolve to advance Liberia’s role in regional integration and uphold the values of justice, peace, and service across West Africa.”

He added: “We look forward to further gains for Liberia through continued constructive engagement with our regional partners.”

Approved at Lungi Summit

The ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government approved both appointments at its 69th Ordinary Summit in Lungi, Sierra Leone, on July 19, 2026.

Announcing them at the time, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the two emerged from a competitive selection process at national and regional levels, conducted under the ECOWAS Supplementary Act on the allocation of senior positions, and Foreign Minister Sara Beysolow Nyanti described the outcome as a significant diplomatic achievement.

Brumskine Takes Oath

Cllr. Brumskine was sworn in on Tuesday at the ECOWAS Commission headquarters in Abuja, Nigeria, alongside four other judges: Désiré Henri Aihou of Benin, Awa Bah of The Gambia, Henrietta Uzoamaka Didigu of Nigeria and Yaouza Ouro-Sama of Togo.

Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, Chairman of the Authority of Heads of State and Government, administered the oath and urged the judges to uphold impartiality, independence and credibility.

The new bench, which sits for 2026 to 2030, replaces judges from Cape Verde, Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana, and will elect its own president and vice president.

A lawyer and law professor educated at Columbia University and Howard University School of Law, Cllr. Brumskine is founder and managing attorney of CMB Law Group in Monrovia and has taught at the Louis Arthur Grimes School of Law, University of Liberia.

She placed first in the 2022 Supreme Court Bar Examination and was Alexander B. Cummings’ running mate on the Collaborating Political Parties (CPP) ticket in the 2023 elections. She is the daughter of the late Cllr. Charles Walker Brumskine, founder of the Liberty Party and a former President Pro Tempore of the Liberian Senate.

Zuo Pledges Results

Mr. Zuo, an economist and former Deputy Minister for Economic Management at the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning, took over from Commissioner Kalilou Sylla at a handover ceremony in Abuja on Monday, August 31, 2026. His department shapes regional policy on economic integration, agriculture, trade and food security.

At the handover, he pledged to support the long-term plan for the ECO single currency, expand intra-regional trade and regional value chains, and draw investment into agriculture and agribusiness, using the ECOWAS Trade Liberalization Scheme and the African Continental Free Trade Area as tools for businesses operating across borders. “I accept this responsibility with gratitude, determination, and a firm commitment to serve with integrity,” he said.