Ghana’s Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey Appointed as Commonwealth Secretary-General

Ghana’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, has been appointed as the Secretary-General of the Commonwealth. Her selection was announced on October 25, 2024, at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) held in Apia, Samoa.

The official Commonwealth Secretariat confirmed the appointment on X, stating that the heads of government had chosen Ayorkor Botchwey to succeed the outgoing Secretary-General, Patricia Scotland, Baroness Scotland of the UK.

Ayorkor Botchwey, who is a lawyer, diplomat, and politician, won the position over two other African candidates: Senator Joshua Setipa of Lesotho and Dr. Mamadou Tangara of The Gambia. This CHOGM marks the first full summit since the passing of Queen Elizabeth II and the first with King Charles III as Head of the Commonwealth.