Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey has been elected as the new Secretary-General of the Commonwealth at the 27th Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Apia, Samoa.
Following the announcement, Baroness Scotland, now former Secretary-General of Commonwealth, shared on X (formerly Twitter), “It is my honour to pass the baton to my dear sister, the Hon Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, who will succeed me as the next Commonwealth Secretary-General.”
Botchwey competed with Senator Joshua Setipa of Lesotho and Dr. Mamadou Tangara of The Gambia and won the office. Her nomination reflects the consensus and calls for an African Leader to take the role of the Secretary-General, of which President Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo-Addo added his voice to.
She highlighted her commitment to the Commonwealth’s potential, describing the organization as “the most consequential body after the UN.” Her vision is to harness the collective power of the Commonwealth’s 2.68 billion citizens for shared growth and resilience.
“I care deeply about the Commonwealth and its diverse people,” she said, emphasizing her determination to make a meaningful impact.
Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration by President Nana Addo Dankwah Akuffo-Addo on 10th January, 2017. Prior to the appointment, She was the Member of Parliament for Anyaa-Sowutuom from 2013 to 2021 and had served as Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and a Minister of State at the Ministry of Water Resources, Works and Housing under John Kufuor’s regime.
She holds an Executive MBA, (Project Management option), MA in Public Communication, Bachelor of Law Degree (LLB), a Diploma in Public Relations and Advertising as well as a certificate in Marketing Management.
