Ghana's President Endorses His Foreign Minister for Commonwealth Secretary General

Hon. Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey is the candidate for Africa's aspirations for Commonwealth 

Ghana-Accra, February 9, 2024: By Justice Baako Ntamah, West Africa Correspondent

Much has been said in the African media about the forthcoming Commonwealth Secretary-General election, which will be held on October 22, 2024, at the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting (CHOGM) in Somoa to replace Baroness Patricia, whose tenure will expire at the end of 2024.
Based on the aspirations and understandings among the Member States and the African Union (AU) that the next Secretary General of the Commonwealth would come from Africa, in keeping those aspirations alive, the President of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has now nominated the experienced minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Hon. Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, for the position of Secretary General of the Commonwealth.
Statement of the President of Ghana: "I have strong confidence in Foreign Minister Botchwey to lead our aspirations for renewal and for building resilient and thriving economies through community co-operation and action, as underscored during the 26th Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting (CHOGM). The Africa Union (AU) has also thrown its weight behind her initiative.
Hon. Botchwey who is a lawyer, diplomat, politician, and communications professional with extensive experience in international relations, diplomacy, and public service, enjoys considerable support across all regions of the Commonwealth member states.
Hon. Botchwey, who is a member of the National Security Council, has served as Ghana's Foreign Minister for the past seven years, during which she steered Ghana's momentous two-year tenure on the United Nations Security Council that ended in December 2023. She also chaired the fifteen-member Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) council of ministers for two successive terms from 2020–2022.
Other positions she held previously include that of Deputy Foreign Minister from 2006–2009 and Deputy Minister for Trade, Industry, and Communications prior to that of a four-term legislation from 2004–2020, and she served on several parliamentary select committees including foreign affairs as well as Appointment, Defense, Interior, Communications, Gender, and Children.
She was also a member of the ECOWAS Parliament from 2013–2017 and served as vice chair on the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD and African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) committees.
The Commonwealth is a diverse intergovernmental association headed by King Charles III. It promotes, among other objectives, democratic governance among member states, cooperation in trade, education, climate advocacy, and transparency in financial systems.