Honourable Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration of Ghana has been selected as the new Secretary General of the Commonwealth of Nations at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) held in Apia, Samoa. The Ghanaian Foreign Affairs Minister was one of the three candidates who vied for the position of Secretary General of The Commonwealth.
Honourable Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey was nominated alongside Hon. Dr. Mamadu Tangara, Minister of Foreign Affairs of The Gambia and Hon. Joshua Phoho Setipa, a 55-year-old politician and diplomat from Lesotho. Joshua has served as a senator in the Senate of Lesotho and minister for trade and industry from 2015-2017. He was also managing director of the United Nations Technology Bank for Least Developed Countries from 2018 to 2022.
Below we reproduce the press statement from the CHOGM in Samoa.
On Friday, 25th October 2024, at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Apia, Samoa, leaders announced the selection of Honourable Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, currently Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Ghana, as the incoming Secretary-General of the Commonwealth.
Notes to Editors
- The Commonwealth is a voluntary association of 56 independent and equal sovereign states. Our combined population is 2.7 billion, of which more than 60 per cent is aged 29 or under.
- The Commonwealth spans the globe and includes both advanced economies and developing countries. Thirty-three of our members are small states, many of which are island nations.
- The Commonwealth Secretariat supports member countries to build democratic and inclusive institutions, strengthen governance and promote justice and human rights. Our work helps to grow economies and boost trade, deliver national resilience, empower young people, and address threats such as climate change, debt and inequality.
- Member countries are supported by a network of more than 80 intergovernmental, civil society, cultural and professional organisations.
Source: Culled from CHOGM.
