Shirley Botchwey: 1st African woman to be Commonwealth Secy General

Shirley Botchwey has become the first African woman to assume the office of the Secretary General of the Commonwealth of Nations on 1 April 2025.

She replaced Patricia Scotland of Dominica, who incidentally was the first woman to hold the post of the Secretary General of the Commonwealth of Nations.

The Commonwealth of Nations is an association of 56 independent countries that were once the colonies of Great Britain.

7th Secretary General of the Commonwealth of Nations 

Shirley Botchwey was appointed as the next Secreatry General at the biennial Commonwealth Heads of Government (CHOGM) meeting in Apia, Samoa in 2024.

She has been elected for a four-year term.

The Secreatry General can have a maximum of two terms of four years. 

About Shirley Botchwey

Shirley Botchwey is from the African country of Ghana. 

Before being appointed as the Secretary General of the Commonwealth, she was the country’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration. She was also a member of Ghana’s National Security Council.

Before entering politics, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey was a businesswoman who led a successful marketing and communications firm and served as a consultant in the tourism sector.

Function of the Secretary General

The Commonwealth Secretary-General is the head of the Commonwealth Secretariat based in London, United Kingdom.

The Secretary General is also responsible for:

• promoting and protecting the Commonwealth’s values
• representing the Commonwealth publicly and
• Management of the Commonwealth Secretariat.

Former Secretary General of the Commonwealth of Nations

The first Secretary General of the Commonwealth was Arnold Smith of Canada (1965-1975)

Second - Sir Shridath Ramphal of Guyana (1975-1990)

Third- Chief Emeka Anyaoku of Nigeria (1990-2000)

Fourth- Don McKinnon of New Zealand (2000-2008)

Fifth- Kamalesh Sharma of India (2008-2016)

Sixth - Patricia Scotland of Dominica (2016-2025)

Seventh - Shirley Botchwey of Ghana (2025- )

About the Commonwealth of Nations 

The Commonwealth is one of the world’s oldest political associations, having its roots in the British Empire.

At the 1929 meeting, the British Commonwealth of Nations was formed.

It consisted of Britain and independent countries once ruled by Great Britain, but which accepted the British Monarch as their nominal Head of State.

After the independence of India in 1947, a Commonwealth Prime Ministers' meeting was held in London in 1949.

It was decided at the meeting that any country which do not accept the British Monarch as its Head of State can become a member of the Commonwealth. 

Members - 56 countries.

Four countries -Mozambique, Rwanda, Gabon, and Togo were never members of the British Empire.

Headquarters: London, United Kingdom

Head of the Commonwealth - British Monarch 

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