♦ Shirley Botchwey assumed office as the 7th Secretary-General of the Commonwealth on 31 March 2025. With this, she became the first woman from Africa to hold this office.

♦ 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.