Ghana’s Ayorkor Botchwey Historically Assumes Commonwealth Secretary-General Role
Former Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Hon Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey has assumed office as the Secretary-General of the Commonwealth.
She is the first African woman to take the role at the Commonwealth.
She was elected by Commonwealth Heads of Government at their biennial meeting in Apia in Samoa in October 2024 as the seventh Secretary-General of The Commonwealth.
She brings more than 20 years of leadership experience in diplomacy, international relations, governance, and public service to the position.
Hon Ayorkor Botchwey took over from Patricia Scotland of Dominica.
As part of her mandate, she will be responsible for promoting and protecting the Commonwealth’s values; representing the Commonwealth publicly and managing the Commonwealth Secretariat.
In an address to the Commonwealth on Wednesday, she proffered new prescriptions to member states’ age-old economic, social and environmental challenges.
“Trade and investment hold the key to our economic transformation. By seeing the Commonwealth market as a key to expanding industrialisation, trade and services for all our countries, industrialised or developing, big or small, we can unlock extraordinary opportunities, driving prosperity, creating jobs and lifting up communities.”
She emphasized her determination to continue to empower our women and young people with the tools, knowledge and opportunities they need to succeed.
Career
Prior to her appointment, she served as Ghana’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration from January 2017 to January 2024 and was a member of Ghana’s National Security Council.
Her tenure was marked by significant reforms in foreign policy delivery, which strengthened Ghana’s diplomatic footprint and introduced transformative improvements in consular services through digitisation and innovation.
During her time as Foreign Minister, she chaired the Council of Ministers of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) from 2020 to 2022, leading strategic responses to security crises, democratic transitions and regional institutional reform.
She played a key role in the passage of landmark UN Security Council Resolution 2667 in 2022, enabling the financing of African Union-led peace operations — a historic achievement during Ghana’s tenure as a non-permanent member of the Council.
She also helped secure UN Resolution 2634 addressing piracy and maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea and was instrumental in shaping Ghana’s high-profile “Year of Return” and “Beyond the Return” initiatives, strengthening cultural and economic ties with the global African diaspora.
Earlier in her career, she served as Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs, Information, and Trade and Industry, during President John Agyekum Kufuor’s administration (2001–2009).
From 2005 to 2021, she was a Member of Parliament for the Weija and later Anyaa-Sowutuom constituencies, representing the largest population base in Ghana’s legislature across four consecutive terms.
Prior to entering politics, Shirley Botchwey led a successful marketing and communications firm and served as a consultant in the tourism sector.
