By Abiola Olawale
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Saturday facilitated with Ghana’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Shirley Botchwey, on becoming the incoming Secretary-General of the Commonwealth.
The New Diplomat reports that on Friday, leaders of the 56 Commonwealth nations meeting in Apia, Samoa, elected Botchwey, a 61-year-old former lawmaker, as the 7th Secretary-General.
Botchwey becomes the second African to be elected as the Secretary-General of the Commonwealth. She is expected to assume office on April 1, 2025.
Reacting to the development, Tinubu, in a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Information & Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said Botchwey is the perfect fit for the job.
The Nigerian President also declared that Nigeria would support her to perform well in her new job.
The statement reads in part: “He trusts that Botchwey’s leadership experience will bring renewed energy to the Commonwealth’s efforts to advance meaningful economic and political partnerships that drive development and amplify the bloc’s voice in global affairs.
“President Tinubu looks forward to working with the incoming Secretary-General to advance the Commonwealth’s vision of fostering peace, equity and prosperity for all member nations.
“The President reaffirms Nigeria’s commitment to championing a Commonwealth that prioritises strengthening intra-commonwealth trade, African exports, and a unified presence at the United Nations that supports an African bid for a permanent representation at the Security Council.
“The President thanks the outgoing Commonwealth Secretary-General, Baroness Patricia Scotland, for her years of leadership and wishes her the best in her future endeavours.”
The New Diplomat reports that Botchwey was born on 8 February 1963. She was appointed foreign minister by Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo on 10 January 2017.
She was a Member of Parliament for Anyaa-Sowutuom from 2013 to 2021 and served as Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and a Minister of State at the Ministry of Water Resources, Works and Housing under former Ghanaian President John Kufuor.
Before entering into frontline politics, Botchwey ran a marketing and communications Company where she was a consultant for the Ministry of Tourism. She was also the managing director of Dynacom Limited.
As a practitioner of public administration, she worked with various organizations such as Worldspace Ghana, the Divestiture Implementation Committee, Glaxo Group Research and Hodge Recruitment.
Botchwey is currently the Chairperson of the ECOWAS Council of Ministers and the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration of Ghana.
