By Godwill Arthur-Mensah
Accra, Oct. 26, GNA – Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia has congratulated Ghana’s Minister of Regional Integration and Foreign Affairs, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, on her election as the next Secretary-General of the Commonwealth in Apia, the capital city of the Pacific Island Nation of Samoa.
In a social media post, Dr Bawumia wrote: “Minister Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, I am happy with the news about your election as the new Secretary-General of the Commonwealth.
“Congratulations on making Ghana proud. Keep shining, and I know you will excel as always.
“God bless our homeland, Ghana. God bless the Commonwealth of Nations.”
Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey has become the first female African to assume the Office of the Secretary-General of the Commonwealth.
She was elected as the Secretary-General of the Commonwealth during the 27th Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Apia, the capital city of the Pacific Island nation of Samoa.
She will take over from the outgoing Commonwealth Secretary-General, Baroness Patricia 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 Ayorkor Botchwey, who will succeed me as the next Commonwealth Secretary-General.
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 Commonwealth” with an aim to strengthening “resilient democratic institutions upholding human rights, democracy, and the rule of law.”
It also focused on combating climate change 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.”
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 the Commonwealth Member States across the globe.
She said: “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.
She explained that as a diplomat of long-standing, she has 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.
GNA