Ghana’s Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey has been chosen as the new Secretary-General of the Commonwealth at the 27th Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM 2024) in Apia, Samoa. Botchwey, Ghana’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, will succeed Patricia Scotland, Baroness Scotland of the United Kingdom.
Following the announcement, Baroness Scotland shared on X (formerly Twitter), “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.”
Botchwey emerged as the preferred candidate after competing with Senator Joshua Setipa of Lesotho and Dr. Mamadou Tangara of The Gambia. Her nomination strongly backed Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo and former President John Mahama, reflecting a Commonwealth consensus for an African leader to take on the role.