By Stephen Asante
Accra, Oct. 28, GNA – President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has rallied Ghanaians to be supportive of the Commonwealth Secretary-General-elect, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, as she seeks to spearhead the apex international English-speaking bloc towards sustainable growth.
“I have confidence that she has the ability to deliver,” the President said while addressing the media at the Kotoka International Airport, Accra, on arrival from the recent Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM2024).
Accompanying the President was Ms Ayorkor Botchwey, Ghana’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, whose election as the next Commonwealth Secretary-General received an overwhelming endorsement from global leaders.
The welcoming ceremony for the two dignitaries was spectacular, with an enthusiastic cross-section of the public who had gathered at the Airport, waving miniature Ghana flags in solidarity as the two personalities disembarked from the Emirates Airline on which they were aboard.
Mrs Akosua Frema Osei-Opare, the Chief of Staff, led a Government delegation to welcome the President and Ms Botchwey.
The Diplomatic Corps and some traditional authorities were also in attendance.
“It is a great day for us. It is a day of unrestrained joy,” the President said of Ms Ayorkor Botchwey’s new position.
“It was a unanimous choice. The whole world came behind her, indicating that the Heads of State and Government value our candidate,” he added.
Competing against Senator Joshua Setipa of Lesotho and Dr Mamadou Tangara of the Gambia, Ms Botchwey’s candidacy received strong backing from Ghanaian leaders, including President Nana Akufo-Addo and former President John Mahama.
Thus reflecting a Commonwealth-wide preference for African leadership in that position.
Ms Ayorkor Botchwey, a supporter of reparations for transatlantic slavery and colonialism, succeeds Baroness Patricia Scotland of the United Kingdom, who has been in the job since 2016, at the end of her tenure in December.
Her campaign was focused on the vision for the future of the Commonwealth, describing the organisation as “the most consequential body after the United Nations”.
She has emphasised her commitment to harnessing the collective strength of the Commonwealth’s 2.7 billion citizens for shared progress and resilience.
President Nana Akufo-Addo touted the honour brought to Africa, in general, by Ms Ayorkor Botchwey’s new status, noting that she had made the continent proud.
“This is an association of 2.7 billion people, a third of mankind which is grouped in the Commonwealth,” he stated, and affirmed the Government’s unwavering support for the Minister.
The President said Ghana would continue to work hard in championing the cause of humanity, saying the country had since its independence in 1957, remained solid in advancing that cause.
Being the first sub-Saharan African nation to gain freedom from the British colonial rule, the country has over the years produced some of the iconic leaders from the continent, including Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, a Pan-African par excellence, and Kofi Annan, former United Nations (UN) Secretary-General.
Ms Ayorkor Botchwey, in a brief message, praised Ghanaians and the Commonwealth for their trust in her.
She said she looked forward to working with all member States to build a stronger, more resilient Commonwealth.
The 56-nation group is headed by Britain’s King Charles, who graced the CHOGM2024 in Samoa, together with his wife, Queen Camilla.
Representatives of the countries, most with roots in the British empire, attended the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, with slavery and the threat of climate change emerging as major themes.
The Commonwealth Charter expresses the commitment of member States to the development of free and democratic societies and the promotion of peace and prosperity to improve the lives of all the people of the bloc.
GNA