Ghana’s Foreign Minister, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, has received a warm welcome from Malawian President, Lazarus Chakwera, regarding her candidacy for Commonwealth Secretary-General.
President Chakwera said that Ms. Botchwey’s candidacy has been “well-received” and expressed his country’s support for her. This positive response came during a meeting between the two leaders at the presidential palace in Lilongwe.
Ms. Botchwey’s candidacy was officially announced last Friday in Ghana and has garnered bipartisan support in the country’s parliament.
The search for a new Commonwealth Secretary-General will begin when the heads of government of the 56-member organization convene in October in Samoa, as Baroness Patricia Scotland’s term concludes at the end of 2024.
Notably, the new leader will come from Africa, as agreed at the last meeting of the heads of government in Kigali in 2022. There are 21 African countries in the Commonwealth with a combined annual economic output of over US$13 trillion and a population of over 2.6 billion people.
Ms. Botchwey shared her vision for a “new Commonwealth,” which includes a focus on trade and investment, harnessing ICT for skills and innovation, and addressing climate change. President Chakwera expressed appreciation for the Minister’s focus on trade and investments and highlighted that Malawi has granted visa-free entry to Ghanaians, an initiative that Ms. Botchwey mentioned would be reciprocated.
The positive reception and discussions surrounding Ms. Botchwey’s candidacy mark an important step in the process of finding a new Commonwealth Secretary-General. As the search continues, the acknowledgment of Africa’s role and influence in the Commonwealth is increasingly apparent.
