Shirley Botchwey becomes 1st African woman to assume office as Commonwealth Secretary-General

Shirley Botchwey will assume office as the 7th Secretary-General of the Commonwealth today. With this, she will become the first woman from Africa to hold this office. Ms. Botchwey has 20 years of leadership experience in diplomacy, international relations, governance, and public service. She previously served as Ghana’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration from January 2017 to January 2024 and was also a member



of Ghana’s National Security Council.

The Secretary-General is nominated by Commonwealth leaders and can serve a maximum of two terms of four years each. The Commonwealth Secretary-General is responsible for promoting and protecting the Commonwealth’s values, representing the Commonwealth publicly and the management of the Commonwealth Secretariat.