Commonwealth Heads of Government on October 25 selected Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, currently the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration of Ghana, as the incoming Secretary-General of the Commonwealth.

After Kigali, in June 2022, this year’s Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting – the first CHOGM to be held in a Pacific Small Island Developing State – started in Apia, the capital city of Samoa, on October 21, with the leaders, among others, expected to elect a successor to the current Commonwealth Secretary-General, Patricia Scotland KC, whose term will end in March 2025.

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"I’m honoured and humbled by the trust of Commonwealth leaders. A lot of work lies ahead. But together, we shall work for a New Commonwealth that works for all its citizens," the new Secretary-General posted on X.

From October 21 to 26, building on progress since CHOGM 2022 in Rwanda, leaders deliberated on global economic, environmental and security challenges, and discussed how Commonwealth countries can work together to build resilience, boost trade, innovation, growth and empower the Commonwealth’s 1.5 billion young people for a more peaceful and sustainable future.