Claudia Lumor Writes: Hon. Botchwey Is Africa’s Best Foot Forward for Commonwealth Secretary-General Position

The commonwealth is made up of some 2.68 billion citizens, making it the most consequential organization after the United Nations. Her member states are drawn from Africa, the Caribbean and Americas, Europe, Asia and the Pacific who meet every four years to elect a Secretary-General to stir the organization’s affairs. The contest for this coveted position is on regionally rotating basis. This year is the turn of Africa to lead the commonwealth in the position of secretary-general for four years. In this regard, three persons have filed to contest for the position representing their countries of Ghana, The Gambia and Lesotho.

This writeup opines that, without disrespect to the other contestants from other parts of our great continent, Hon Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey of Ghana is the best person to represent Africa as the Secretary-General of the Commonwealth.

The Commonwealth

The Commonwealth of Nations, often simply referred to as the Commonwealth, comprises 56 countries from across the world. A vast majority of these countries are former territories of the British colonial empire, this was the foundation of the formation of the commonwealth. The head of the Commonwealth is King Charles III, albeit the position is very ceremonial and symbolic. The secretariat is headed by the secretary-general, who plays the executive and administrative roles. The secretary-general is elected by Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM). The current secretary-general is Patricia Scotland, Baroness Scotland of Asthal from Dominica whose two-term tenure ends this year.

CHOGM Samoa 2024

Leaders of Commonwealth countries meet every two years for the CHOGM hosted by different member states on a rotating basis. Since 1971, a total of 26 meetings have been held with the most recent been in Rwanda in 2022. This year’s meeting will be the 27^th CHOGM, which will be held in Apia, the capital city of the Pacific Island nation of Samoa from 21-26 October, 2024. This will be the first time the CHOGM will be held in a Pacific Small Island developing state. The meeting will also be the first plenary commonwealth summit to be held since the death of Queen Elizabeth II. Therefore, it is the first to be presided over by King Charles III as head of Commonwealth.

The meeting will be held under the theme “Our resilient Common Future: Transforming our common wealth”. It will be focused on combating climate change (particularly its impacts on small and island states) whiles strengthening resilient democratic institutions upholding human rights and the rule of law. One agendum that will be topical at CHOGM Samoa 2024 will be the election of a Secretary-General from Africa. From all the three countries that have filed a candidate, Ghana stands tall with the candidature of Honourable Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, current minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration.

Hon. Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey

Honourable Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey has served as the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration of Ghana since January 2017. She is long standing diplomat, a lawyer and a politician who has represented her constituents for 16 long years in the Ghanaian Parliament.  Her extensive experience in diplomacy dates back to the second term of the erstwhile administration of President John Agyekum Kufuor from 2005-2009 during which she served as Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration (2008-2009 & 2006-2007), after stints as Deputy Minister for Information, and Deputy Minister for Trade and Industry.

Ghanaian Parliament

As a four-term legislator, Hon. Botchwey represented the most populous constituency in the country, Weija, in the Greater Accra Region for two terms (2005-2013) until it was re-demarcated. She subsequently represented the Anyaa/Sowutuom constituency for two terms (2013-2021).

As an opposition member of in the Ghanaian Parliament from 2009 to 2013, Hon. Botchwey served as the spokesperson on Foreign Affairs. She also served on the following Committees in Parliament: Select Committee on Foreign Affairs; Appointments Committee; Defence and Interior Committee; Communications Committee; Gender and Children Committee.

ECOWAS Parliament

Hon. Botchwey was a member of the ECOWAS Parliament from 2013 to 2017. She contributed in shaping the parliament’s work by advising the Community and its institutions and organs particularly on issues relating to fundamental human rights and freedoms. She was Vice-Chair of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) and Africa Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) Committees of the ECOWAS Parliament.

Chair of ECOWAS Council of Ministers

As Foreign Minister, she also chaired the Council of Ministers of the 15-member Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) for two successive terms, 2020-2022. She played an integral part in the negotiations towards the transition to democracy in the region. Under her leadership, the Council advised the Authority of Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS on: the response to the security situation in the Sahel and the West Africa region, including four military takeovers; the review of the Supplementary Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance; the reform of the ECOWAS Commission; including ECOWAS budget reforms to ensure efficiency and more funding for Community Programmes.

At The UN Security Council

During Ghana’s tenure at the UN Security Council (2021-23), Hon. Botchwey led the effort for the unanimous passage of the Resolution 27/19 in November 2023 to guarantee, for the first time, United Nations funding for African-led Peace Support Operations.

Year of Return and Beyond the Return

At the 200^th anniversary of the abolition of the Transatlantic Slave Trade, Ghana embarked on an ambitious program of bringing as much as people (especially people of African descent living in the diaspora) back to Africa through Ghana. Working with colleague ministers, the policies yielded strong bonds, closer than ever before, with the African Union’s sixth region -The Caribbean and Global Africa.

Education and Professional Accomplishment

Before entering frontline politics, Hon. Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey ran a successful Marketing and Communications Company and served as a consultant for the Ministry of Tourism. She worked in various capacities with organizations such as Worldspace Ghana, the Divestiture Implementation Committee, Glaxo Group Research and Hodge Recruitment.

She is Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Ghana Barrister at Law (BL), she holds Qualifying Certificate in Law (QCL), from the Ghana School of Law, Accra. She holds Executive MBA from University of Ghana Business School; a diploma in Public Relations from the Ghana institute of journalism and certificate in Marketing Management from the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration, (GIMPA).

In the United Kingdom, Hon Botchwey attended the University of law, University of London, University of Westminster and Pitman Central College all in London where she obtained Postgraduate Diploma in Professional Legal Practice (LPC); Bachelor of Laws (LLB); MA Public Communications & Public Relations and Diploma in Secretarial & Management Studies respectively.

Her Vision: Commonwealth of the People

Hon. Botchwey believes that “The rich part of the Commonwealth needs the poorer part as much as the poorer part needs the richer part. My campaign is dedicated to engaging with the Commonwealth family on how to make the members of Commonwealth, rich or poor, big or small, including the developing countries which constitute 94% of the organization, a vital part of an agenda of ensuring and promoting democracy and good governance, economic transformation, and resilience of all the Commonwealth.”

Hon Botchwey believes that in order to continuously make the commonwealth viable and robust in responding to today’s needs in a fast-changing world, we need to leverage the commonwealth values and their outcomes to respond fully to the needs and aspirations of all our peoples. She believes this can be realized and sustained through her vision christened “Commonwealth of the People”.   The ‘commonwealth of the people vision’ recommends repositioning in six thematic areas in order to

1. Transform the economies of the countries in the Commonwealth;
2. Enable inclusive development and climate resilience and;
3. Respond to the expectations of the hundreds of millions across the Commonwealth for a good life

the six thematic areas Hon. Botchwey proposes for repositioning are:

1.Trade and Investment                          2.  Youth, Education, Skills, Innovation and Start-Ups

3.Mobility and Labour Markets              4. Climate Change

5.Small / Island states                              6. Managing resources for an Effective Commonwealth Institution

Extensive explanation on each of these and many others relating to Hon. Botchwey’s commonwealth secretary-general bid is found on her website: www.ayorkorbotchwey.com

Endorsements

Hon Botchwey’s bid for the Secretary-General of the commonwealth has been endorsed publicly, first of all at home, by both the current president H.E Nana Addo Dunkwa Akuffo-Addo and the former  President and now flagbearer of the opposition NDC party H.E John Dramani Mahama.

Beyond the shores of Ghana, in other parts of the continent and around the world, Hon Botchwey continues to receive and galvanize support for her bid to lead for Africa, the Commonwealth and the entire world for our common wealth. I have no doubt that the very respected Foreign Affairs minister and long-standing diplomat will put up a stellar performance as Secretary-General for the Commonwealth once the people of the world bestow the honour on her. As an advocate and activist of girl power -empowering women to break stereotypical limits, I personally fully endorse Hon Ayorkor Botchwey for the position as Secretary-General of the Commonwealth. Rising from the part of the world she comes from, to this enviable height as a woman, deserves commendation. When given the nod, Hon. Botchwey will be the first woman to occupy the position from Africa. Also, taking-over from another woman is refreshing and motivating for the young woman out there and also for the efforts being made to seek gender empowerment and equity. I expect all and sundry to rally around the star of Africa and the Commonwealth in believing me when I say Hon. Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey is our best foot forward!

The writer is the founder and CEO of Glitz Africa

She is also UNFPA Goodwill Ambassador to Ghana.