Shirley Botchwey unveils vision for Commonwealth - Prioritises youth, democracy, climate

The Secretary-General-elect of the Commonwealth, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, has been given a tumultuous welcome at the Kotoka International Airport led by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

In the company of the President at the airport to welcome the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration who will assume the reins of the Commonwealth in April next year were the Chief of Staff, Akosua Frema Osei-Opare; ministers of state, officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, family members, chiefs and party supporters.

Dressed in pink with a garland around her neck, Ms Botchwey, who was visibly excited at the sheer number of people ready to welcome her, described President Akufo-Addo as her “chief campaigner”.

Brief

Speaking to the media briefly, Ms Botchwey said she looked forward to working her heart out to make the Commonwealth relevant to its peoples and build on the work her predecessor had done with the amazing staff of the secretariat and their partners.

That, she explained, made it possible for the Commonwealth to open new chapters in its journey towards deepening democracy, peace, prosperity and economic progress.

Large population

The Commonwealth, with 56 countries, has a combined population of 2.7 billion people, with 60 per cent being young people. About 33 out of the 56 countries are small island developing states and small states.

Ms Botchwey described the Commonwealth as a diverse organisation, saying, “I am inspired by the resilience of our member states. We come from different nations and cultures, but we share a Commonwealth of values”.

Vision

Touching on her vision, she said she would want to build on promoting trade and ensuring education, skills training development and innovation for the teeming numbers of young people across the Commonwealth.

“I will provide leadership to work with member states in collaboration with other multilateral institutions towards addressing climate change, which presents a clear existential threat to our Commonwealth,” Ms Botchwey stated.

The former Member of Parliament for Anyaa Sowutuom gave an assurance that she would work to harness opportunities for transformation, enhance the global voice of the group, prioritise inclusive and effective decision-making, and leverage technology and artificial intelligence to bridge gaps and amplify marginalised voices. 

President Akufo-Addo, elated, described the day as a happy one for all Ghanaians, irrespective of their political affiliation and urged all to unite and enjoy what had happened to the country.

History

Giving a little history of the formation of the Commonwealth, the President said in 1964, when the idea of the Secretariat was mooted, three leaders from the Caribbean and Africa worked together to bring the Secretariat into being.

The three – Ghana’s first President, Kwame Nkrumah; the then President of Uganda, Milton Ubute, and the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Dr Eric Williams – came together to push the idea of the Secretariat, which will now be headed by a Ghanaian.

President Akufo-Addo described as historic the election of Ms Botchwey because she was the first Ghanaian woman and the first African woman to head the organisation.

President Akufo-Addo noted that it was not going to be an easy task because of human history with its difficulties ahead, “But I have absolutely no doubt that you have the qualities necessary to enable you to succeed as Secretary-General of the Commonwealth,” he said.

Qualities

He explained that it was those qualities of competence, hard work, diligence, honesty and commitment that “persuaded me that we should support your candidature for this office.

And by the grace of the Almighty, it has worked out excellently for us”.

The President said the election of Ms Botchwey testified to the esteem in which Ghana was held and how the Secretary-General- elect in the last nearly eight years as Ghana’s Foreign Minister, had also held herself.

“She's done a yeoman's job for us as Foreign Secretary, Chairperson of the ECOWAS Council of Ministers, and several other important international assignments have been very well delivered by this (I used to call her) young lady,” President Akufo-Addo added.

Election

Ms Botchwey was elected last Saturday as the Secretary-General of the Commonwealth of Nations, adding to the prestigious list of Ghanaians who held international diplomatic appointments.

Her election at the 27th Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Apia, the capital city of the Pacific Island nation, Samoa, marks a historic milestone as she becomes the first Ghanaian and second African (after Nigeria’s Emeka Anyaoku) to hold the distinguished position.

She beat two other African candidates, Senator Joshua Setipa of Lesotho and Dr Mamadou Tangara of the Gambia.

Ms Botchwey brings with her a wealth of experience in diplomacy, governance and international relations.