Ghana's Foreign Affairs Minister, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, has been elected as the next Secretary-General of the Commonwealth at the 27th Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) held in Apia, Samoa.

She will succeed the outgoing Secretary-General, Patricia Scotland, Baroness Scotland of the United Kingdom.

Baroness Scotland, expressing her sentiments on X (formerly Twitter), shared, "It is my honour to pass the baton to my dear sister, the Hon.

Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, who will succeed me as the next Commonwealth Secretary-General." The handover marks a historic moment for Ghana and Africa, as Botchwey becomes the latest African leader to guide the Commonwealth, which serves 56 member countries.