Madam Ayorkor Botchwey pays courtesy call on King Charles

Madam Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, the newly appointed Commonwealth Secretary-General, has paid a courtesy visit to King Charles III, the Head of the Commonwealth, at Windsor Castle in London.

Madam Botchwey, who previously served as Ghana’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, officially began her tenure as Secretary-General of the Commonwealth on April 1, 2025. 

She has pledged to uphold and promote the values of the Commonwealth Charter in a world marked by increasing tensions and changing global dynamics.

Botchwey, who succeeds Dame Patricia Scotland, is both the first African woman and the second African overall to hold this prestigious role within the 56-member Commonwealth. 

The Commonwealth represents a third of the world’s population and over a quarter of the United Nations' membership.