Hon. Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey becomes the first woman and second African to lead the Commonwealth of Nations.
On April 1, 2025, Hon. Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey officially became the new Secretary-General of the Commonwealth. Her appointment is historic as she is the first African woman to lead the 56-nation body and the second African in its history to hold the top post.
With a population representing one-third of the world and facing increasingly complex global challenges, the Commonwealth now has a leader with decades of experience in diplomacy, security, and international development.
Before assuming this new role, Botchwey served as Ghana’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration from 2017 to 2024. During her tenure, she led significant reforms in foreign policy and modernised consular services through digitisation. She also played a central role in strengthening Ghana’s global diplomatic presence and led major initiatives like “The Year of Return” and “Beyond the Return,” which deepened connections between Ghana and the global African diaspora.
Her influence wasn’t limited to Ghana. As Chair of the ECOWAS Council of Ministers from 2020 to 2022, she helped lead decisive responses to political instability, democratic transitions, and regional security threats across West Africa. Internationally, she played a pivotal role in shaping UN Security Council Resolution 2667 in 2022, which enabled funding for African Union-led peacekeeping operations – a milestone achievement during Ghana’s time as a non-permanent member. She also contributed to the adoption of UN Resolution 2634, which addressed maritime security and piracy in the Gulf of Guinea.
Botchwey’s professional foundation
Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey is a qualified Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Ghana. She holds an Executive MBA in Project Management from the University of Ghana Business School, completed executive leadership training at Harvard’s Kennedy School, and is a Fellow of the African Leadership Initiative and the Aspen Global Leadership Network.
Earlier in her career, she served as Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs, Information, and Trade and Industry from 2001 to 2009 and was a Member of Parliament for four terms. Before politics, she built a successful career in marketing, communications, and tourism consulting.
Now, as Secretary-General, her vision for the Commonwealth is focused and urgent. She has pledged to uphold its core values of democracy, good governance, peace, human rights, and equal opportunity. Her strategic goals include empowering women and young people with the tools and opportunities to succeed in a rapidly changing world, revitalising trade, investment, and connectivity across member nations, and confronting the climate crisis. She has emphasised the need for international financial reforms to help small and vulnerable member states access adequate support and climate financing.
Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey advocates for the quicker modernisation of the Commonwealth through more intelligent partnerships, highlighting the specific needs of small island developing states and small states more broadly. She has emphasised the importance of countering disinformation as part of safeguarding democratic institutions and intends to make climate resilience a central legacy of her leadership.
Elected during the 2024 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Samoa, she succeeded Patricia Scotland, whose term concluded in March 2025. With over 20 years of leadership in diplomacy and governance, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey now brings a blend of experience, credibility, and clarity to a role that holds greater global significance now, more than ever before.
