Akufo-Addo nominates Ayorkor Botchwey as Ghana’s candidate for Commonwealth Secretary-General

The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, has been nominated by the president, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, as Ghana’s candidate for the role of Secretary-General of the Commonwealth.

This comes after the minister expressed her interest to contest for the position.

The nomination, according to a statement by the ministry, is in line with the consensus among the Commonwealth member states that the next secretary general should come from Africa, after two consecutive terms of Baroness Patricia Scoland, a dual Dominican-British citizen.

“A new Secretary-General of the 56-member organisation will be elected on October 22, 2024, at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Samoa to replace Baroness Patricia Scoland, a dual Dominican-British citizen whose second and final tenure expire t the end of 2024” part of the statement read.

The president in nominating the foreign affairs minister expressed confidence in the candidature of the foreign affairs minister.

To him, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, has the skills to lead the Commonwealth through cooperation and actions.

“I have a strong confidence in Foreign Minister Botchwey to lead our aspiration for renewal and for building future-looking resilience and thriving economies, through community cooperation and action, as underscored at Kigali, Rwanda, during the 26th Commonwealth Heads of Government (CHOGM)”

The foreign minister, the report added, received the endorsement of the African Union and the support of various regions of the Commonwealth, such as the Caribbean, the Pacific, and Asia.





NW/OGB