A stalwart of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, has celebrated the historic election of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, as the new Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, at the 27th Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM 2024) in Apia, Samoa.

A post shared on his X page on Saturday, October 26, 2024 stated, "This Ga woman, who was a secretary in the 1990s, worked her way relentlessly up to become an MP of the then most populous constituency in Ghana, deputy minister, foreign minister, and even then remarkably made time to study to become a lawyer. Today she has, by a landslide, been elected to lead the 56-nation Commonwealth as Secretary-General.

"The first ever African woman to do so. The second woman to do so (Patricia Scotland as first) and the second ever African to head the body (Emeka Anyaoku was first in 1990). Ghana is very proud of you! We only hope you get the support to reform the Commonwealth in ways that make it relevant to the totality of the 2.7 billion population with a combined GDP of some $13.1 trillion."

Shirley brings extensive diplomatic experience, having recently served as a key figure in Ghana’s tenure on the UN Security Council (2021-23), where she led efforts to secure funding for African-led peace operations through Resolution 27/19, as Chair of the ECOWAS Council of Ministers.

Her priorities for the Commonwealth include fortifying democratic institutions, promoting human rights, and addressing climate challenges, especially those affecting small and island states—key themes at CHOGM 2024, held under the banner “One Resilient Common Future: Transforming Our Common Wealth.

Read his post below:

This Ga woman, who was a secretary in the 1990s, worked her way relentlessly up to become an MP of the then most populous constituency in Ghana, deputy minister, foreign minister, and even then remarkably made time to study to become a lawyer. Today she has, by a landslide, been… pic.twitter.com/dHTBCLQpZ6

— Gabby Otchere-Darko (@GabbyDarko) October 26, 2024