Commonwealth elects Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey as new Secretary General

APIA – Commonwealth members have chosen Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey as secretary general of the 56-nation club led by Britain’s King Charles, the Commonwealth said on Saturday, the final day of a summit in Samoa attended by Charles and Queen Camilla.

Representatives of the countries, most of which have roots in the British empire, are attending the meeting of Commonwealth heads of government, which started on Monday on the Pacific island nation, with slavery and the threat of climate change emerging as key themes came.

“Today at #CHOGM2024, Commonwealth Heads of Government selected Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, currently the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration of Ghana, as the new Secretary General of the Commonwealth,” the Commonwealth said on X.

Botchwey, a supporter of reparations for transatlantic slavery and colonialism, takes over from Britain’s Patricia Scotland, who has held the position since 2016.

Earlier on Saturday, Britain’s king and queen flew out of Samoa, following a visit in which the monarch acknowledged the Commonwealth’s “painful” history, amid a push for former colonial powers to pay reparations for their role in transatlantic slavery.

Charles and Camilla left Samoa at around 12pm local time on a Royal Australia Air Force jet and waved goodbye as they boarded the plane at Apia’s Faleolo International Airport.

Before leaving, the royal couple attended a farewell ceremony in the village of Siumu, which took place in heavy rain.

Charles said in a speech at the summit on Friday that he understood “by listening to people across the Commonwealth how the most painful aspects of our past continue to resonate”.

“It is therefore essential that we understand our history to guide us in making the right choices going forward,” he said.

Pressure on ex-colonial powers such as Britain to pay reparations or otherwise compensate for slavery and its legacies has gained momentum worldwide today, especially among the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the African Union.

Those who oppose reparations say countries should not be held responsible for historical abuses, while those in favor say the legacy of slavery has led to vast and persistent racial inequality.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who is attending the summit, has rejected calls for reparations and apologized for the country’s historic role.

The King and Queen’s stay in Samoa followed a six-day tour of Australia, where a large crowd came to see the royal couple at the Sydney Opera House. Charles also met with Indigenous elders in Sydney after being harassed by an Indigenous senator in Canberra. REUTERS