Ghana's Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey elected Commonwealth Secretary-General

Ghana's Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey has been elected as the next Secretary-General of the Commonwealth. She was selected at the 27th Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (#CHOGM2024) in Apia, the capital city of the Pacific Island nation of Samoa.

Currently the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration in Ghana, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey will take over from the outgoing Commonwealth Secretary-General, Patricia Scotland Baroness Scotland of the United Kingdom.

Shortly after the election as the incoming Secretary-General, Baroness Scotland stated on X: "It is my honour to pass the baton to my dear sister, the Hon Shirley Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, who will succeed me as the next Commonwealth Secretary-General.

It is my honour to pass the baton to my dear sister, the Hon Shirley @AyorkorBotchwey, who will succeed me as the next Commonwealth Secretary-General.

She will be uniquely blessed, as I have been, to hold this office and serve our precious Commonwealth. pic.twitter.com/mYtErlsuyD

— Patricia Scotland KC (@PScotlandCSG) October 25, 2024

Today at #CHOGM2024, Commonwealth Heads of Government have selected the Hon Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, currently the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration of Ghana, as the incoming Secretary-General of the Commonwealth. pic.twitter.com/hVUvTqlt1D

— The Commonwealth (@commonwealthsec) October 25, 2024

Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, who is a lawyer, a diplomat and a politician, was in the race with two other African candidates, namely Senator Joshua Setipa of Lesotho and Dr Mamadou Tangara of the Gambia.

Prior to the election, she received the endorsement of both President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and former President John Dramani Mahama.

The theme for the meeting was: “One Resilient Common Future: Transforming our Common Wealth”with an aim to strengthen “resilient democratic institutions upholding human rights, democracy, and the rule of law”.

It also focused on combating climate change in particular and its impact on small states and island states.

The meeting was the first full Commonwealth summit held since the death of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022 and the first to be presided over by King Charles III as Head of the Commonwealth.

Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey’s nomination by President Akufo-Addo as Ghana’s candidate followed an understanding among members of the Commonwealth that its next Secretary-General would come from Africa.

Nominating her, President Akufo-Addo said: “I have strong confidence in Foreign Minister Botchwey to lead our aspiration for renewal and for building future-looking resilient and thriving economies, through community cooperation and action, as underscored at Kigali, Rwanda, during the 26th Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM).”

After announcing her candidature early this year, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, carried her main plans and priorities for the job of Secretary-General of the Commonwealth to Heads of State and Governments of Commonwealth Member States across the globe.

Touching on why she wanted to be the next Commonwealth Secretary-General, Madam Ayorkor Botchwey declared that: “I’ve put myself forward because I care about the Commonwealth and its diverse peoples; and I’ve the leadership skills and record, networks and character for getting tough things done.

“The Commonwealth has enormous potential yet to be realised for its 2.68 billion citizens that could make it the most consequential organisation after the UN. I’m motivated to see that vision realised.”

She explained that as a diplomat of long-standing, she had led or been part of landmarks in diplomacy and international relations with concrete outcomes.

For instance, during Ghana’s tenure at the UN Security Council (2021-23), she led the effort for the unanimous passage of Resolution 27/19 in November 2023 to guarantee, for the first time, UN funding for Africa-led peace support operations.

“As Chair of ECOWAS Council of Ministers, I played an active role in the efforts to prevent coups in the region, and reform the institution’s Supplementary Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance,” she pointed out.

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Writer's email: enoch.frimpong@graphic.com.gh 

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